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BPT Art Trail Newsletter – September 9th 2015

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BRIDGEPORT ART TRAIL NEWSLETTER

Welcome to our Bridgeport Art Trail newsletter, providing a listing of arts and cultural events.

SAVE THE DATE: Bridgeport Art Trail – November 12th-15th.

Just because summer is coming to a close doesn’t mean it’s time to hibernate!
This September Bridgeport is full of arts and cultural events!

Tomorrow, Thursday September 8th, The Housatonic Museum of Art celebrates their extensive collection with their “50 objects/Fifty Years” exhibit. 

An opening reception will be held September 10, from 5:30 p.m. until 7 p.m. and the public is cordially invited to attend. The exhibit will be on view from September 10 through October 16, 2015 in the Burt Chernow Galleries.

SUPPORT CITY LIGHTS, THE LEAD ORGANIZATION OF THE BRIDGEPORT ART TRAIL and have some FUN at their annual fundraiser on Thursday, September 17th at Captain’s Cove! A Multi-media Celebration featuring Drink, Music, Art, Fun & Art Demos.

The Bijou Theatre is active in September with their “Reel Law Series” presenting Kramer vs Kramer and a live theater event later in the month of “Tick Tick Boom”, the autobiographical musical by Jonathan Larson, the Pulitizer Prize and TONY Award-winning composer of Rent.

And fans of theater can also check out “MEMPHIS” at the Downtown Cabaret Theatre opening September 25th!  Plus, Actors, don’t miss your chance to audition for “Fiddler on the Roof”.

Storytelling series Heart of the City returns with its fourth installment on September 14th to share tales of embarrassment and growth in their September theme “Mortified: Letters, Diary Entries, and Stories from the Awkward Years”.

Don’t be surprised… we are letting you know now… The Bridgeport Art Trail is scheduled for Nov. 12-15, 2015. Don’t miss our CALL FOR ARTISTS for the BPT Art Trail Sampler and Artists’ Party at the Read’s Ground Floor Gallery, downtown Bridgeport CT!

This September, we’re happy to feature artist Yolanda Vasquez Petrocelli as our Artist of the Month!

This Bridgeport photographer heavily integrates her Mexican heritage into her work and will be curating the exhibit LATINISSIMA at City Lights Gallery for Hispanic Heritage month.

Be sure to check out all the details below!
Visit the full calendar of Bridgeport Art listings at the Bridgeport Art Trail Website.

VISIT THE BRIDGEPORT ART TRAIL WEBSITE

VISUAL ART: 50 Objects/Fifty Years: Highlights from the Collection
Housatonic Museum of Arts, Burt Chernow Galleries
Opening Reception Thursday, September 10th, 5:30-7 p.m.
On View, September 10th-October 16th 2015

Event Description:

The 50 Objects/Fifty Years: Highlights from the Collection exhibit represents the start of a year- long program of special events, lectures, and exhibits celebrating 50 years since Housatonic Community College was founded. It will involve alumni, students, community, faculty and staff, and supporters of the college.

The Housatonic Museum of Art is the fitting host of the opening as the art collection is a cornerstone of the history, growth and development as well as the cultural outreach of the college.

The exhibit will be on view from September 10 through October 16, 2015 in the Burt Chernow Galleries. An opening reception will be held September 10, from 5:30 p.m. until 7 p.m. and the public is cordially invited to attend. The Burt Chernow Galleries are free and open seven days a week. Visit the website, www.HousatonicMuseum.org for gallery hours.

50 Objects/50 Years features works from the collection that span across time from ancient to contemporary and include examples of Greek, Roman and Pre-Columbian earthenware to Native American artifacts. Also on view are photographers such as Ansel Adams, Cartier-Bresson and Cindy Sherman alongside such recognized masters as Warhol, Picasso, Rodin, Cassatt, Durer, De Kooning and Alex Katz, to name a few.

Founded in 1966, the Housatonic Community College soon became home to a world-class art collection when Burt Chernow joined the faculty of the art department. Dedicating his life to teaching art and building an important collection, Burt worked tirelessly to acquire work from contemporary artists, many of them at the start of their careers. After retiring from the college in 1983, Burt began a second career as an art appraiser often encouraging his clients to contribute to the still growing collection that now began to include works from Bali, China, Indonesia, Russia and Peru.

Burt Chernow envisioned the Housatonic Museum of Art as a kind of visual library, or endless labyrinth, with each work of art providing each individual a unique opportunity to travel through the world of art and ideas.

The Housatonic Museum of Art’s collection contains over 5000 works of art spanning ancient through modern times and is one of the largest permanent collections of any two-year college in the Northeast. Exhibitions and programs are funded in part by the Werth Family Foundation, Lumpkin Family Foundation, Fairfield County Community Foundation, Downtown Special Services District and individual donors.

More Info

Weaving workshop at City Lights during fabric art exhibit called “COMMON THREADS,”among works on view, quilts from Gee’s Bend.

SAVE THE DATE!: City Lights Gallery Annual Fundraising Event
Thursday, September 17, 2015 at Captain’s Cove.
1 Bostwick Avenue, Bridgeport, CT
203.335.1433
Thursday, September 17, 2015
5:30-9 pm

PLEASE SUPPORT CITY LIGHTS, THE LEAD ORGANIZATION OF THE BRIDGEPORT ART TRAIL…
and have some FUN at our annual fundraiser on Thursday, 9/17 at Captain’s Cove!
We are currently organizing the 7th annual city-wide open studio event. City Lights outreach programs continue to grow.  This summer we had the pleasure to work with staff and youth of Ralphola Taylor Center. Youth participated in programs that connected art and natural science. We finished up the program with a nature walk and boat ride to Sheffield Island and a visit to the Norwalk Aquarium.

Thank you for your continued support.
Executive Director
Suzanne Kachmar

City Lights is a nonprofit arts organization located in downtown Bridgeport that serves the community through art.

Please make a donation: www.citylightsgallery.org

ANNUAL CITY LIGHTS FUNDRAISER at Captain’s Cove,
Thursday September 17, 2015, 5:30-9 p.m.
A fun way to support public art in Bridgeport, CT.

7th ANNUAL BRIDGEPORT ART TRAIL:
City-wide open studios and art weekend, November 12-15, 2015.

Weaving and spinning wool with youth at Ralphola Taylor Center Bridgeport, CT.
Join us for City Light’s One Fundraising Event of the Year…A Multi-media Celebration featuring Drink, Music, Art, Fun & Art Demos at Captain’s Cove Seaport, 1 Bostwick Ave. Bridgeport CT 06605, (203)335-1433
Special Thanks to board member Bruce Williams and his family for hosting this event.$75 single admission/$125 per 2

City Lights Patron Member and Fundraiser Special Deal:
$100 single admission plus 1 year membership
$125 admission for 2 plus 1 year membership

Please make checks payable to City Lights & Company or use our
secured server at www.citylightsgallery.org
(Donations will also be accepted at the door.)

MAKE A DONATION. http://www.citylightsgallery.org/

ABOUT: City Lights is a nonprofit, community based art organization located in downtown Bridgeport CT., easily accessible by Metro-North, Port Jeff Ferry, I-95 and the Merrit Parkway via the Route 25 Connector.

For more info please email us at: clgallerybpt@gmail.com
Visit Our Website: www.citylightsgallery.org

Help support our 11+ year mission to serve the Community through Art and ensure that our outreach programs for area Youth and Adults will continue.

City Lights programs include:
The Bridgeport Arts Trail each November, Painting and Weaving Workshops with Alpha Community Services YMCA, Integrating Art & Natural Science with local Elementary, Jr. High, and High School students, Chess workshops for youth, Bridgeport Mental Health Art Therapy Workshops… as well as providing opportunities for area artists of all levels, backgrounds, and abilities to present, sell, and experience Art!

For more info email clgallerybpt@gmail.com.

More Info

City Lights Outreach: Boat ride, nature walk at Sheffiled Island and visit to the Flutter Zone at Norwalk Aquarium, to reinforce Butterfly work shop with youth from th Ralphola Taylor Center.

FILM: Reel Law Series – Kramer vs Kramer
Thursday, September 10th, 7pm
The Bijou Theatre

Event Description:
In this film, Joanna Kramer walks out on her advertising-art-director husband Michael. Also left behind is the Kramers’ 6-year-old son Billy. At first, both father and son resent each other’s company but soon form a strong bond. Suddenly, Joanna reenters his life, announcing that she wants full custody of Billy.

Running time: 1 hr., 45 min.; Rated: PG

Doors open: 6:00pm, Film begins: 7:00pm.  Film followed by Q&A with counsel from Koskoff, Koskoff & Beider. Light refreshments provided.

More Info

LIVE THEATER: Tick Tick Boom
The Bijou Theatre
September 11th – September 20th

Event Description:
An aspiring composer questions his life choices on the eve of his thirtieth birthday in Jonathan Larson’s autobiographical musical.

Before Rent, there was Tick, Tick…Boom!. This autobiographical musical by Jonathan Larson, the Pulitzer Prize- and TONY Award-winning composer of Rent, is the story of a composer and the sacrifices he made to achieve his big break in theatre. Containing fourteen songs, ten characters, three actors, and a band, Tick, Tick…Boom! takes you on the playwright/composer’s journey that led to a Broadway blockbuster.

His girlfriend wants to get married and move out of the city, his best friend is making big bucks on Madison Avenue, and yet Jon is still waiting on tables and trying to write the great American musical. Set in 1990, this compelling story of personal discovery is presented as a rock musical filled with instantly appealing melodies and a unique blend of musical theatre styles.

Everyone will love this youthful, endearing, and thoughtful piece, and will surely embrace the universal ideal of holding onto your dreams through life’s most difficult challenges. Tick, Tick…Boom! features a three-person cast showcasing strong pop/rock singers and allowing performers to make creative character choices.

Details:
Doors open one hour prior to show.
Theatre seats: $23, Table seats: $28, Student seats: $18
Dates Below:

Fri 9/11 8:00pm , Sat 9/12 8:00pm , Sun 9/13 3:00pm ,
Thu 9/17 7:00pm , Fri 9/18 8:00pm , Sun 9/20 5:00pm

More Info

SPECIAL EVENT:  Heart of the City Storytelling Series
Theme: Mortified: Letters, Diary Entries, + Stories from the Awkward Years
Monday, September 14th, 6:45-8:00pm
The Bananaland, 162 Elm Street, Floor 3, Bridgeport CT

Event Description:
Changing the Bridgeport narrative one story at a time.
Storytelling events the first Monday of every month with local speakers, live music, food + fun!

They always said, “One day you’ll look back on this and laugh…”
Well, that time has come!

Join us for our 4th Heart of the City storytelling event as we empathize along with a new set of speakers… those brave souls willing to share some of life’s most embarrassing moments.

As usual, live music, light food + drinks, and a whole lot of good vibes.

More Info

LIVE THEATER: Memphis
The Downtown Cabaret
September 25th – October 11th

Event Description:

Book & Lyrics: Joe DiPietro
Music & Lyrics: David Bryan
Based on a concept by: George W. George
Director: Christy McIntosh-Newsom
Musical Director: Eli Newsom
Choreographer: Jessica Rahrig

ABOUT THE SHOW: Winner of four Tony Awards, including Best Musical, MEMPHIS follows the fame and forbidden love of a radio DJ who wants to change the world and a club singer who is ready for her big break. Inspired by true events from the underground dance clubs of 1950s Memphis, Tennessee, MEMPHIS will leave you feeling exhilarated by its explosive blend of electrifying music, soaring emotion and roof-raising energy.

More Info

 CALL FOR ART & AUDITIONS
Image: American Fabrics Building, Bridgeport Art Trail 2014
Don’t be surprised… we are letting you know now… The Bridgeport Art trail is scheduled for Nov. 12-15, 2015. 
CALL FOR ARTISTS for the BPT Art Trail Sampler and Artists’ Party at the Read’s Ground Floor Gallery, downtown Bridgeport CT.

CALL FOR ARTISTS; Bridgeport Art Trail Small Works Sampler

Show you work and party with fellow artists and the Bridgeport creative community at the BPT Art Trail Artists’ Party, Thursday November 12, 2015. This annual Kick-Off Party is a popular art trail event.  The Bridgeport Art Trail mantra is View art. Talk art. Buy art. … Eat & Drink too, while enjoying party tunes provided by WPKN 89.5 fm radio.

City Lights is extending a call to Bridgeport artists to submit small works under 20” for the annual Bridgeport Art Trail Sampler and Artists’ Party Kick-off for 7th annual city-wide open studios event. Please submit jpegs for consideration by October 15, 2015. Artists will be notified by October 23, 2015.  For more info email us: clgallerybpt@gmail.com

IMPORTANT DATES:
Submission deadline: October 15, 2015.
Artists notified: October 23, 2015.
Drop Off of Art: November 5, 6, 7. Times T.B.A.
Pick up TBA

EXHIBITION DETAILS:
The exhibit and reception are sponsored by City Lights Gallery, the City of Bridgeport and the Downtown Special Services District. It will take place at the Ground Floor Gallery of the Read’s Art Space at 1042 Broad St. Downtown Bridgeport CT.  The Bridgeport Art Trail is a city-wide art celebration where visitors can tour artists’ studios, gallery spaces, and enjoy music, performance, film poetry and artists’ demos.

City Lights is a nonprofit, organization located in downtown Bridgeport CT that serves the community through art. It is easily accessible by Metro-North, Port Jeff Ferry, I-95 and the Merit Parkway via the Route 25 Connector.

SUBMISSION DETAILS:
SEND SUBMISSIONS IN JPEG FORMAT,(no more than 8 images), 72 DPI, DUE BY OCTOBER 15th, TO: clgallerybpt@gmail.com

NECESSARY INFO TO INCLUDE WITH SUBMISSION:
Brief artists statement, itemized list of art submitted should include:  title, size, medium, price of work, Works not for sale should include a value rather than a price. Also include artist’s contact info: name, email, phone (evening and daytime numbers), mailing address and website if available.
For more info please email us at: clgallerybpt@gmail.com our website: www.citylightsgallery.org
City Lights Gallery, 37 Markle Court, Bridgeport, CT. 06604 (203) 334-7748

AUDITIONS: Downtown Cabaret Main Stage Theatre – Fiddler on the Roof
Tuesday, September 8th and Wednesday, September 9th

University of Bridgeport Arts & Humanities Building
84 Iranistan Ave Bridgeport CT 06604 (free parking lot)

DETAILS:
Downtown Cabaret Main Stage Theatre (Eli Newsom, Producing Artistic Director; Hugh Hallinan Executive Producer) is holding an open call audition for FIDDLER ON THE ROOF on September 8 & 9; Director: Joel Fenster; Musical Director: Clay Zambo; Choreographer: Lindsay Johnson.

The show runs Dec 4-20 at the Downtown Cabaret Theatre 263 Golden Hill St in Bridgeport, CT.
Please note that the auditions will take place at University of Bridgeport, 84 Iranistan Ave Bridgeport CT 06604 (free parking lot).

We are seeking a large cast of approximately 35 performers ages 8-80 for this classic family musical. There are principal roles available as well as numerous featured supporting roles, and a featured dancing ensemble. Please note the role of Tevye is cast. Non-Equity, no pay.

Visit www.SignUpGenius.com/go/20F0E49A9A822A2FF2-open1 to access the audition sign-up form.

AUDITION INFO:

When:
Two open-call auditions will take place,
Tuesday September 8 & Wednesday September 9:

CHILDREN ONLY (ages 15 and under) from 5:45pm-7pm (sign-in begins at 5:15pm, please don’t arrive before 5pm)

ADULTS ONLY (ages 16+) from 7pm-9:30pm (sign-in begins at 6pm, sign-in ends at 8:30pm)

Actors will be seen in order of arrival, with the exception of the actors who have secured appointments (scroll down below for info on how to reserve a timeslot). For those unable to attend auditions, in some cases the director may consider video submissions. Please email christy@mycabaret.org for info.

What to prepare:
All actors should bring a current headshot (or recent photo) and 1 page acting resume or list of theater/performing experience.

Please prepare a short selection (no longer than 1 minute) of a song in the style of the show. Singing from the show is ok. Bring sheet music in the correct key—a capella singing is highly discouraged.

Callbacks:
Callbacks will take place on Thurs Sep 10 beginning at 5pm for children and 6:30pm for adults. There will also be a movement/dance call at callbacks. Only some roles require dancing, we are seeking performers of all types. Not all roles require callbacks, so not receiving a callback is not an indication of whether or not you have been cast.

Appointments:
For convenience we are offering limited appointment time slots . Appointments are not necessary, however they are recommended. We will not be doing appointment timeslots for child actors. Visit www.SignUpGenius.com/go/20F0E49A9A822A2FF2-open1 to access the audition sign-up form. Please make a note of your appointment time and date as you may not receive a reminder. Audition slots are limited, first-come, first-served. Actors without appointments will be seen as time allows between appointment slots. Those without appointments should allow for 1-2 hours of wait time.

FOR FULL AUDITION INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT
http://dtcab.com/announcements/fiddler-on-the-roof-auditions

More Info

 CURRENT EXHIBITIONS

VISUAL ART: Annual Member’s Exhibit
City Lights Gallery
Regular gallery hours: W-F 11:30-5, Thurs open until 7, Sat 12-4 pm.

Event Description:

Every year City Lights hosts one unjuried exhibit designed to build community. It is always an interesting experiment featuring a spectrum of styles and skills.

A recurring theme focusses on contemporary manipulations of well-known masterpieces including works by Leonardo Da Vinci, Hieronymus Bosch and Van Gogh.

Exhibiting Members Include:
Patrice Barrett, Tom Brenner, Aaron Brenner, Patte Cocoran, Bryant Davis, Steve Gerber, Scott Davis, Mina de Hass, Allan Dudek, Danielle Julius, Beth Lazar, Phil Levine, Karen Loprete, Janice Mauro, Shanna Melton, Jon Oldham, Andy Pinto, Collen Reilly Rees, David Rosenberg, Eileen Fitz Smith, Ken Staffey,  Gustavo Torres, FranCesca Winfield

More Info

 FEATURED ARTIST: SEPTEMBER
 YOLANDA VASQUEZ PETROCELLI
ARTIST STATEMENT
The Women Photographic Series are geographical interior maps of experiences and feelings. Through these images I try to deconstruct the women-the path she has traveled and through memory I try to unfold the stratas of a distant past that becomes more elusive as the present takes over.
Yo Y Frida – Yolanda Vasquez Petrocelli
Q. How would you describe your artwork/style?
A. Contemporary MexicanQ. What medium do you work in?
A. Photography-based and any reproductive mediums like printmaking and Photoshop.Q. What is your process like?    
A. I photograph every day and ideas are always there to follow. I have many projects at the same time.

Q. What inspires you?
A. Every day, nature, light, my culture, and traveling.

Luna Clara – Yolanda Vasquez Petrocelli
Q. How do you think you’ve changed or developed as an artist?
A. It’s been a continuous and natural process. I’ve been an artist at a very early age and I come from a family of artists.  My aunt was an actress in Mexico City, and my uncle was an opera singer.
Peace – Yolanda Vasquez Petrocelli
Q. Can you tell me about the exhibit for Hispanic Heritage month you’re curating: LATINISSIMA?A. Latinissima is term that I created. It refers to people from Latin America, Spanish speaking, and bringing contemporary artists from various Latin countries to Bridgeport.The exhibition includes artist from Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela, Cuba, and Puerto Rico. It includes artist I’ve known and admired their works. The show is very diverse within the Latin and Caribbean community.

Blue Moon – Yolanda Vasquez Petrocelli
Orgullo de Mestiza – Yolanda Vasquez Petrocelli
CONTACT INFORMATION
Yolanda Vasquez Petrocelli
Yomestiza@gmail.com
www.yolandavasquezpetrocelli.com

*All event descriptions and artist interviews are presented as provided.
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BPT Art Trail Newsletter – August 12th

The Bridgeport Art Trail is just three months away! Scheduled for November 12th-15th be sure to save the date! And if you’re a participant, the deadline for our Call for Listings is August 30th! August brings the summer to a close but not the Bridgeport arts and cultural scene. 
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BRIDGEPORT ART TRAIL NEWSLETTER

Welcome to our Bridgeport Art Trail newsletter, providing a listing of arts and cultural events.

It may be hard to believe, but the Bridgeport Art Trail is just three months away. Scheduled for November 12th-15th be sure to save the date!

And if you’re a participant, the deadline for our Call for Listings is August 30th! Don’t miss your chance to be featured in promotions for the 7th annual celebration of arts and culture throughout Bridgeport. Scroll down for the full submission details.

August brings the summer to a close but not the Bridgeport arts and cultural scene.

Don’t miss a performance by Lyle Lovett and his Large Band at The Klein. And later this month don’t miss John Hiatt & The Combo and the Taj Mahal Trio.

Live music also comes to The Downtown Cabaret Theater with Rollingexile. And the Bijou Theatre presents “Tick Tick Boom” this September, the autobiographical musical by Jonathan Larson, the Pulitizer Prize and TONY Award-winning composer of Rent.

Celebrate art at Captain’s Cove Seaport on September 17th for City Lights Gallery’s Annual Fundraising event: a celebration featuring drink, music, art, video, art demos, and more!

We’re also happy to feature artist Robin Gilmore as our August Artist of the Month!

Learn more about this multifaceted mixed media artist, designer, and owner of Made in Bridgeport:

“I am an artist, educator and the owner of Made In Bridgeport, located in Bridgeport, CT. I make jewelry and art with found objects, items that are repurposed, broken and salvaged that will surely make a great addition to your own collections. I love using everyday objects, some vintage or industrial and anything that is inspiring that I can feel in my hands as I am making a new work of art.”

Be sure to check out all the details below!

BPT ART TRAIL ARTISTS’ NEWS: 

CONGRATULATIONS to Bridgeport Art Trail Artists:

  • RUBEN MARROQUIN is currently exhibiting his work in the Textile Biennial at the Rijswik Museum in Holland.
  • JESUS EMMANUEL VILLAREAL, a large figure painting was just purchased by the New Britain Museum. A portrait was also accepted in an international exhibit, Figurative Competition at the European Museum of Modern Art in Barcelona.
  • SEND US YOUR NEWS to clgallerybpt@gmail.com
-The Bridgeport Art Trail Team

Check out the full calendar of Bridgeport Art listings at the Bridgeport Art Trail Website.

VISIT THE BRIDGEPORT ART TRAIL WEBSITE

LIVE MUSIC
FTC Presents Lyle Lovett and his Large Band

FTC Presents John Hiatt & The Combo and the Taj Mahal Trio
The Klein Memorial Auditorium
Wednesday, August 12th 2015
Saturday, August 29th 2015

Event Description:

Lyle Lovett and his Large Band
Lyle Lovett’s nimble and incisive songs have made him one of the most unique voices in Americana. From country to pop to big band swing, Lovett has been a cult figure from his start in the 80s. The four-time Grammy winner is behind well-known hits including “If I Had A Boat,” “You’ve Got A Friend In Me,” “L.A. County,” and many, many more. In addition to music, Lovett has a substantial film repertoire including “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” and “Walk Hard.”
Lovett is a genuine gentleman with southern charm. The refreshing summer soundtrack you need for a top down, winding road drive.

FTC Presents John Hiatt & The Combo and the Taj Mahal Trio
Two legends on one bill? This is the kind of show that you’ve just got to see. A music veteran who’s played with everyone from Bob Dylan to Iggy Pop, Hiatt’s gruff, down-home take on roots is well worth seeing. Mahal, of course, is one of the key figures in American music whose melding of blues with music from around the world is nothing short of revolutionary.

Generously Underwritten by: Bankwell

More Info

LIVE MUSIC: Rollingexile
Downtown Cabaret Theatre
August 29th, 8PM

Event Description:
Rollingexile US tour stops in Bridgeport

Rollingexile from London England is stopping in Bridgeport on his mini U.S. tour. Featuring Charlie Hallinan and Rollingexile’s U.S. band members Nick “the stick” Carvalho, Sharon Zaubi and Chuck Beckman.

100% of the tickets sales will go to the Brain Tumor Alliance and the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation.  Rollingexile and it’s band members and the staff of the Downtown Cabaret Theatre are volunteering there services for these great charities.

More Info

SPECIAL EVENT: Hustle & Flow Mixer
Creative Society of CT
957 Main St, Bridgeport, CT 06604

Sunday, August 30, 2015
From 2:00 PM to 7:00 PM

Event Description:
We are pleased to announce that Creative Society of Connecticut will be helping to end the hot, humid summer right with one of our cool, creative events. This special event is called the Hustle & Flow Mixer, taking place Sunday, August 30th, 2015 from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at 957 Main Street in Bridgeport, will be showcasing some of CT’s budding and talented producers, a photography series, a multi-media art collection, CT-based clothing lines and more.

Our vision is to create a social gathering available for creative minds to engage in conversation, collaborate and network while sharing knowledge and resources of information. Consider this event a time to appreciate the art of music, photography, and fashion in our very own state of Connecticut.

This is a 21+ event and the admission cost is $10. Cash bar available.

Anyone interested in getting involved as a sponsor, vendor, member of the press or volunteer should contact creativesociety203@gmail.com.

The Creative Society of Connecticut hopes that you can join us in making this event a memorable, but most importantly, a collaborative one!

More Info

LIVE THEATER: Tick Tick Boom
The Bijou Theatre
September 11th – September 20th

Event Description:
An aspiring composer questions his life choices on the eve of his thirtieth birthday in Jonathan Larson’s autobiographical musical.

Before Rent, there was Tick, Tick…Boom!. This autobiographical musical by Jonathan Larson, the Pulitzer Prize- and TONY Award-winning composer of Rent, is the story of a composer and the sacrifices he made to achieve his big break in theatre. Containing fourteen songs, ten characters, three actors, and a band, Tick, Tick…Boom! takes you on the playwright/composer’s journey that led to a Broadway blockbuster.

His girlfriend wants to get married and move out of the city, his best friend is making big bucks on Madison Avenue, and yet Jon is still waiting on tables and trying to write the great American musical. Set in 1990, this compelling story of personal discovery is presented as a rock musical filled with instantly appealing melodies and a unique blend of musical theatre styles.

Everyone will love this youthful, endearing, and thoughtful piece, and will surely embrace the universal ideal of holding onto your dreams through life’s most difficult challenges. Tick, Tick…Boom! features a three-person cast showcasing strong pop/rock singers and allowing performers to make creative character choices.

Details:
Doors open one hour prior to show.
Theatre seats: $23, Table seats: $28, Student seats: $18
Dates Below:

Fri 9/11 8:00pm , Sat 9/12 8:00pm , Sun 9/13 3:00pm ,
Thu 9/17 7:00pm , Fri 9/18 8:00pm , Sun 9/20 5:00pm

More Info

Gallery visit to City Lights: students are introduced to weaving and view the exhibit COMMON THREADS, a fabric art exhibit that included Gee’s Bend quilts.

SAVE THE DATE!: City Lights Gallery Annual Fundraising Event
Thursday, September 17, 2015 at Captain’s Cove.
1 Bostwick Avenue, Bridgeport, CT
203.335.1433
Thursday, September 17, 2015
5-9 pm

SUPPORT CITY LIGHTS FREE PUBLIC ART PROGRAMS.
Multi-media Celebration featuring:
Food, Drink, Music, Art, Video, Fun and Surprises!

Help us continue our 11+ year mission to serve our Community through Art and insure our outreach programs for area Youth and Adults continue.

City Lights programs include: The Bridgeport Arts Trail each November, Painting and Weaving Workshops with Alpha Community Services, Integrating Art & Natural Science with local Elementary, Jr. High, and High School students, Chess workshops for youth, Bridgeport Mental Health Art Therapy Workshops …as well as providing opportunities for area artists of all levels, backgrounds, and abilities to present, sell, and experience Art.

Please consider donating a small postcard size piece of art for our teacup auction on September 17, 2015.

More Info

Photo: BPT Art Trail – Emily Larned in her studio, photo by Kvon Photography

CALL FOR LISTINGS : BRIDGEPORT ART TRAIL 2015
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: 8/30/2015

BPT ART TRAIL, scheduled November 12-15, 2015.

LISITNGS ARE DUE: SUNDAY AUGUST 30, 2015 for the 7th city-wide open studios weekend. Once again advertising is a free service to all arts venues in the city of Bridgeport, CT. Larger ads and sponsorships are available upon request and subject to space limitations.

A FEW DIRECTIONS FOR SUBMITTING LISTINGS AND EVENT INFO:
Please compose a brief description of venue(s) and listing(s) of activities scheduled for the city-wide open studios weekend and submit your listing by SUNDAY AUGUST 30, 2015 to:  clgallerybpt@gmail.com

Please use “Bpt Art Trail Listing” in the subject title of your email. Send copy in a word document in upper and lower case.  Images should be sent as jpegs at 300 dpi ad 75 dpi.  See an example below of info requested.

Venues that already have something scheduled for that weekend do not need to create additional programs, just send us your listings, in the manner that you want to describe it. Be sure to give contact info that you are comfortable giving out to the public.

Check out these links to get an idea of what activities and info are listed:
http://bridgeport-art-trail.org/portfolio/american-fabrics-building/
http://bridgeport-art-trail.org/portfolio/mclevy-hall-and-mclevy-green/

REQUIRED INFO TO SUBMIT FOR LISITNG:
Name of Venue:
Title of Event, Program: OPEN STUDIOS (for example)
Dates & Times: Day(s), Date, Hours
Reception, Studio Tours or Demos Times if applicable:
Brief description: For Example: View the studios of 35 artists working in all medias of fine and applied art, including photography, painting, fine quilts and textile design, sculpture, woodwork, printmaking and more.
Admission: Free, Suggested Donation $XX, Ticket Price, etc.
Parking Info if applicable

GENERAL FLOW OF THE WEEKEND:
Thursday and Friday evenings focus on the downtown area and then Friday night, Sat, Sunday events happen city-wide. Once we get the information we will organize an itinerary for the weekend. Please collaborate with your fellow artists/neighbors as you have done in the past so that performances, open studio tours, etc. are scheduled in clusters creating a mini-destination place. Organize your cluster of activities so that overlapping is at a minimum.

ARTISTS PARTY, ART TRAIL KICKOFF THURSDAY NIGHT LOCAION TBA.
We received good feedback from our first artists’ party. This provide artists and arts enthusiasts with an opportunity to socialize and network.  This year the Thursday night kick-off will feature a small works show of Bridgeport artist from all areas of the city at McLevy Hall. All Bridgeport artists are welcome to submit work and attend. It will be a convenient way to introduce visitors to a sampling of Bridgeport artists.

Once all submissions are compiled in late September, a document will be created for all contact people to review. There will be a 2 day review period for SMALL revisions and edits. This will be the ONLY opportunity to make edits and small changes. TO MAKE CHANGES… A FULL LISTING MUST BE RESENT. Last year we received fragments and sentences. It was difficult for Bpt Art Trail staff to follow through on corrections.

If you have any questions please email clgallerybpt@gmail.com  or call (203)984-8613
Review last year’s Bpt Art Trail guide:  http://bridgeport-art-trail.org/art-trail-map/

ALSO BRIDGEPORT ART TRAIL NEWSLETTER:
We update the Bpt Art Trail calendar monthly and send out a bimonthly newsletter. Please send us your info. Please send listings and info for the  Bpt Art Trail newsletter to : clgallerybpt@gmail.com
Please use “BAT Newsletter” in the subject title.

More Info

CURRENT EXHIBITIONS ON VIEW
Lenticular Image by Miggs Burroughs, “SPARE PARTS”

ART EXHIBIT: SAMESEX 2015
City Lights Gallery

Description: The 5th Annual Exhibit, SAMESEX 2015 at City Lights Gallery is a gender inclusive art exhibit and event of painting, photography, wigs, head dresses, fiber art, and projected art. Featured work includes photographic and audio documentation of individuals expressing their thoughts on gender identity by “Gender Projected”, fiber art by Nancy Moore and Ellen Schinderman and lenticular images by Miggs Burroughs that change as the viewer walks by.

ARTISTS’ TALK
SUNDAY AUGUST 9, 2015, 4-6 PM
Hear the artist discuss their works.
Doors Open at 3:30PM

EXHIBITING ARTISTS INCLUDE: Miggs Burroughs, Patte Corcoran, Chris Crouch, Sue Czark, Mina de Haas, David Enriquez, Daniel Eugene, Thomas Evans, Arthur Gerstein, Kenn Hopkins, Cassandra Mendoza, Ricky Mestre, Cherish Minor, Nancy Moore, Stefan Novotny, Joe Radoccia, Sassie Saltimboca, Santiago Sanchez, Ellen Schinderman, Richard Taddei, Lee Walther

More Info

 FEATURED ARTIST: AUGUST
 ROBIN GILMORE
ARTIST STATEMENT
My name is Robin Gilmore. I am an artist, educator and the owner of Made In Bridgeport, located in Bridgeport, CT. I make jewelry and art with found objects, items that are repurposed, broken and salvaged that will surely make a great addition to your own collections. I love using everyday objects, some vintage or industrial and anything that is inspiring that I can feel in my hands as I am making a new work of art. I am participating in the “Green Movement”, and the reuse of materials I use is one way I contribute to the healing of our planet. Every piece that I make has a story and that’s what I love about making my art. As a child, I was said to be most likely to grow up “making something out of nothing”, and here is where I find myself now: Always Reinventing Things!!!
  1. How would you describe your artwork/style?
  1. I consider myself to be a mixed media artist and designer, that being said, it goes much deeper and wider in scope then one would imagine. My style is a very romantic one based on the past…and then paradoxically it moves into a postmodern style using hardware, gears, metals found in construction. Mostly I choose what I create with whatever form of material calls out to me and gets my attention. One might say I am in tune to the very tiny bits and pieces that create my work. The width of that scope can also take me to painting, sculpting, paper and found art collage and photography at any given moment and sometimes mixes into the work that is created
  1. What medium do you work in?
  1. Mostly these days I work in jewelry design and that is really the bread and butter and some of the honey of what keeps me going. I also do workshops with all ages and that ignites the creativity in me that I hope comes through to pass on its spark to others.
  1. What is your process like? 
  1. My process is spontaneous, almost dreamlike and often without much thought, but sometimes it’s like problem solving or putting together a puzzle. The intuitiveness of knowing whether a piece fits, how it fits, where it fits and also know if it doesn’t, is the simplest way to describe the process. Sometimes I go to sleep trying to solve a problem of a piece that doesn’t seem to be working and in a dream I will get the answers, often drawing it out at 2 or 3 am. There is some channeling taking place which I try to honor.
  1. What inspires you?
  1. Stories inspire me. I like to tell stories as I am creating my pieces, it gives them a life of their own. It is also what attracts people to my work. I often think about who the person will be that will purchase a piece (jewelry piece). The piece may be about needing a guide for a decision   that must be made, or an understanding of a commitment to a relationship. Sometimes the pieces are made with humor and people who can laugh at themselves will purchase my work, because it makes them feel good to know all these broken pieces can heal something that may be broken in them too.
  1. How do you think you’ve changed or developed as an artist?
  1. I feel more secure as an artist now, having been an artist all my life. Maybe its age, maybe it’s the confidence of putting myself out there. I now more than ever allow and protect my space for the creative process. Set better boundaries. Make choices that honor the process. I think the jewelry design is the thing I was meant to do and I would love to learn even more about metalsmithing, soldering etc. There is always room to grow and learn more.
  1. Can you tell me about “Made in Bridgeport” and how your business has grown or changed?
  1. Made In Bridgeport came about just as the Reads Artspace project was taking shape. I thought about the very large corner space which is currently a martial arts school on Broad Street- I thought how wonderful it would be to have a business called Made In Bridgeport where all of the best things that are made in Bridgeport by artist and artisans could be for sale, could share a history, could tell their stories. This came at a time when the Remington Artists were being dislocated and I saw all the incredible artists and businesses that were happening there trying to find new locations. At that time I was running a business called Park City Artists Resources on Connecticut Ave. Then a few years ago I had an opportunity to have my business downtown in the Arcade Mall and it went well in the beginning and it also became about showcasing and selling other peoples work again. I have since moved back to my Connecticut Ave location and am loving the freedom that being back in my old space provides. I have more solitary time in my private studio to create and run my business which includes selling work online as well as weekend events in the community. And now I am teaching more than ever. It is a good fit.
“The City has a very rich resource of creative people who need opportunities to express their style of art. Art needs to be seen everywhere downtown and throughout the city, it also needs to be heard.
  1. You host a variety of workshops, what have some of your favorite themes been?
  1. I love teaching people how to work with what they already have. “Bring the Junk From Your Trunk” is one of my favorite workshops as I assist others in thinking in different ways about the objects that they bring to the table. They learn basic jewelry making skills as well. I love doing jewelry making classes with little girls- especially Birthday Parties and I’m starting to develop workshops for boys as well as including men in the mix. I mostly love using recyclable materials. The world is abundant with all sorts of reusable stuff
  1. Bridgeport continues to be a site that artists are attracted to. How do you think the arts can impact the city?
  1. The Arts in Bridgeport should mirror what is already happening in New Haven and Stamford. It may be because the downtown area is just a few blocks and not as massive as these other cities, but things are beginning to grow in many directions downtown and outside of those limits. We have a lot of art venues happening all over town- openings, Bridgeport Arts Fest, and the up and coming Art Trail, concerts on McLevy Green. The City has a very rich resource of creative people who need opportunities to express their style of art.

Art needs to be seen everywhere downtown and throughout the city, it also needs to be heard. We also have some major music people and poets. Some who have performed at Gallery 1212 where I am now located. I am thinking I wish I had known then what I know now. So a Comeback is taking shape on the East End. I think the Artists are the running dogs for this creative economy, but that just isn’t enough. I think we should and could make a greater impact on our community with the right support. Sometimes we just don’t even know what resources are already in place.

  1. Any other upcoming news, events, or anything else you’d like to share?
  1. Now that I am back at the Bridgeport Innovation Center in the Gallery 1212 space, I am revisiting a lot of the ideas I had thought about doing here before. I will be having a monthly open house in my new location beginning in September. One of the things my partner and I are working on is trying to establish a Creative Corridor that connects into Stratford and moves from Stratford Avenue to Connecticut Avenue and extends all the way through to Fairfield Avenue into Black Rock.  “East Meets West” you might say. We will be hosting along with the owners of the Bridgeport Innovation Center an opportunity for artists to participate in the Bpt Art Trail at this location. A call to artists will be out shortly. In the meantime, I am doing The Black Rock Farmers Market every Saturday from 9-1 and on the last Sunday in August I will be at The Artists and Artisans on Paradise Green Event., looking forward to a lineup of Fall events into the Christmas Holiday. During the week, I am also doing workshops at some social service programs through City Lights Gallery and also using the Bridgeport ART CART downtown to get all sorts of people to make art, I get to hear great stories and I know I am making a difference in their lives- both young and old.
“I like the changes that I have recently made it has been very good for me. I feel energized and much more grounded in the steps I am taking and I am doing what I love.”
CONTACT INFORMATION
Robin Gilmore
Made In Bridgeport
955 Connecticut Avenue  Bldg #1 Suite 1212
Bridgeport CT 066073203-449-2187
madeinbridgeport@gmail.com
www.made-in-bridgeport.com
http://etsy.com/shop/madeinbridgeport
http://etsy.com/shop/artifactsandfindings

*All event descriptions and artist interviews are presented as provided.
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BPT Art Trail Newsletter – July 8th 2015

The first week of July is already a busy start to the month for arts and culture in Bridgeport! Thursday, July 9th Downtown Bridgeport will be a hub of activity with Downtown Thursdays and City Lights Gallery’s SAMESEX 2015 Exhibit and Pride March!. Plus, The 2015 Bridgeport Arts Fest takes place on Saturday, July 11th

BRIDGEPORT ART TRAIL NEWSLETTER

Welcome to our Bridgeport Art Trail newsletter, providing a listing of arts and cultural events.

The first week of July is already a busy start to the month for arts and culture in Bridgeport!

Thursday, July 9th Downtown Bridgeport will be a hub of activity with Downtown Thursdays and City Lights Gallery’s SAMESEX 2015 Exhibit and Pride March!.

The gender inclusive art exhibit of painting, photography, wigs, head dresses, fiber art, and projected art opens Thursday, July 9th with a street party and live music!  

Downtown Thursdays, McLevy Green’s summer concert series continues this week with Season One Winner of The Voice– Javier Colon followed by Cosmic Jibaros!

The 2015 Bridgeport Arts Fest takes place on Saturday, July 11th. Don’t miss this free one day celebration of LOCAL + ORIGINAL art, artists, crafters, community organizations and performers at historic McLevy Green. And stay after the event for the after-party featuring outdoor concerts!

Plus, the POEMobile, Fame the Musical at The Bijou Theatre, The Gathering of the Vibes Festival, and more!

We’re also happy to feature artist Ricky Mestre as our July Artist of the Month!

Ricky Mestre of Stratford CT is a Puerto Rican artist who studied Illustration at the University of Bridgeport where he received his Bachelor’s Degree. Some of his work is inspired by religious icons and stained glass windows from the Catholic Church.  It also draws upon urban Latino culture and its people and themes relevant to the LGBT community.  His style ranges from dramatic and emotional images to more childlike and cute cartoons.

In addition to his individual work as an artist, Mestre is the chairman of the SAMESEX exhibit at City Lights Gallery.

Be sure to check out all the details below!

-The Bridgeport Art Trail Team

Check out the full calendar of Bridgeport Art listings at the Bridgeport Art Trail Website.

VISIT THE BRIDGEPORT ART TRAIL WEBSITE

LIVE MUSIC: Downtown Thursdays
McLevy Green
Thursday’s in June & July, 5-8pm
Thursday, July 9th

Event Description: Downtown Thursdays is a FREE weekly outdoor summer concert series that happens every Thursday at McLevy Green (5:30-9PM) in Downtown Bridgeport from June 18 to July 23.

Downtown Thursdays features local and area musicians. Lawn chairs and leashed pets are welcome! Invite your friends, family, co-workers and neighbors, and visit some of the fantastic downtown restaurants and businesses.

Javier Colon & Cosmic Jibaros
July 9th

Javier Colon, American singer-songwriter, musician and WINNER of season 1 of The Voice takes the stage in Downtown!

His stunning soulful voice will take your breath away. Javier has created his own unique style of music that can be described as an eclectic blend of R&B, Folk, Soul, Rock and Country.

Opening act, Cosmic Jibaros is a not your typical Latin band, blending Latin and Caribbean rhythms, rock guitars and World music influences for a sound that’s both cross-cultural and highly danceable so bring your dancing shoes!

NEW TO DOWNTOWN THURSDAYS!
We will be hosting an after party to this year’s summer concert series after every show at one of our Downtown locations! This show’s after party at Two Boots of Bridgeport

More Info

Lenticular Image by Miggs Burroughs, “SPARE PARTS”

ART EXHIBIT: SAMESEX 2015
City Lights Gallery
Opening Recption, Thursday, July 9th, 5:30-9:00PM

Description: The 5th Annual Exhibit, SAMESEX 2015 at City Lights Gallery is a gender inclusive art exhibit and event of painting, photography, wigs, head dresses, fiber art, and projected art. Featured work includes photographic and audio documentation of individuals expressing their thoughts on gender identity by “Gender Projected”, fiber art by Nancy Moore and Ellen Schinderman and lenticular images by Miggs Burroughs that change as the viewer walks by.

OPENING RECEPTION THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015, 5:309:00 p.m.  $10 Suggested Donation.
The exhibit and opening festivities celebrate gender equality for all, discrimination for none and the creativity of the artist community. SUPPORT City Lights with a $10 admission fee and receive 2 drink tickets courtesy of or neighbors, TIAGO’s restaurant. Enjoy food, live music and activities.

EXHIBITING ARTISTS INCLUDE: Miggs Burroughs, Patte Corcoran, Chris Crouch, Sue Czark, Mina de Haas, David Enriquez, Daniel Eugene, Thomas Evans, Arthur Gerstein, Kenn Hopkins, Cassandra Mendoza, Ricky Mestre, Cherish Minor, Nancy Moore, Stefan Novotny, Joe Radoccia, Sassie Saltimboca, Santiago Sanchez, Ellen Schinderman, Richard Taddei, Lee Walther

SAMESEX Drag Contest & Pride Parade
As a part of the Annual 2015 SAMESEX Art Exhibit at City Lights Gallery “Opening Night Festivities” there will be a “DRAG CONTEST for QUEENS & KINGS”!! THREE $100 PRIZES for the categories of “BEST HAIR”, “BEST MAKE-UP” & “BEST OVERALL LOOK”! The 2015 theme for the SAMESEX Art Exhibit is “Gender Identity”. Contestants must register the day of the event by 7pm & participate in the PRIDE PARADE as part of the evening events. Pride March begins at 8pm.

More Info

SPECIAL EVENT: Bridgeport Arts Fest
McLevy Green
Saturday, July 11th 10-6pm
After-Party 6-11pm

Event Description:
The Bridgeport Arts Fest is a one day celebration of LOCAL + ORIGINAL art, artists, crafters, community organizations and performers that takes place in downtown Bridgeport at historic McLevy Green on July 11, 2015 from 10am to 6pm, and is followed immediately by the After-Party (6-11pm). The Arts Fest is a family- and community-friendly affair and is FREE to attend. In addition to artists, you’ll enjoy live entertainment, activities, demonstrations and area food and drinks.

Bridgeport Arts Fest After-Party:
Join us for fun, music, dancing, and an outdoor Craft Beer Garden while we celebrate the success of another Bridgeport Arts Fest with the annual After-Party Concert featuring performances by: Bad Rabbits, Ceschi Ramos and Anonymous Inc, Snooty Garland, and Mr Council! Music starts promptly at 6pm immediately following the day’s activities and will be held right on the main stage on McLevy Green!

Bad Rabbits
www.badrabbits.com
Like some kind of sonic Pulp Fiction, Bad Rabbits fuse futuristic R&B and post-rock for a slick one-two punch.

Ceschi Ramos and Anonymous Inc
http://fakefourinc.com/artist/ceschi
Experimental post-psych-rock-hop-jazz-fusion outfit

Snooty Garland
https://www.facebook.com/snootygarland
Snooty is a decadently molten, soul jam confection.

Mr Council
https://www.facebook.com/mrcouncilmusic
Mr. Council delivers original R&B with authentic groove and a rock edge.

More Info

SPECIAL EVENT : POEMobile: Live Poetry and Projections
Saturday, July 11th, 8-10pm
State Street and Broad Street

Event Description:
The Housatonic Museum of Art and CityLore proudly present the POEMobile at Arts Fest. Bridgeport’s best and brightest poets perform along with projections & music.

More Info

THEATER : Fame The Musical
The Bijou Theatre
July 17th – July 26th

Event Description:
An unmistakable title from the unforgettable film & television franchise, Fame The Musical inspired generations to fight for fame and light up the sky like a flame! Conceived and developed by David De Silva – now known affectionately to the planet as “Father Fame,” this high-octane musical features the Academy Award-winning title song and a host of other catchy pop numbers.  The show follows the final class of New York City’s celebrated High School for the Performing Arts from their admission in 1980 to their graduation in 1984. All of the struggles, fears, and triumphs – from prejudice to substance abuse are depicted with razor-sharp focus as the young artists navigate the worlds of music, drama, and dance.

This production is being presented by our Summer Stock Theater Troupe who range in ages from 14 through 22.

Doors open one hour prior to showtime, and guests are invited to order meals and beverages from our table menus prior and during the show.

07/17/2015 – 7:00pm
07/18/201 – 7:00pm
07/24/2015 – 7:00pm
07/25/2015 – 3:00pm and 7:00pm
07/26/2015 – 3:00pm

More Info

SPECIAL EVENT : Gathering of the Vibes Festival
Seaside Park
July 30th-August 2nd

Event Description:
Vibes Celebrates it’s 20th Year!

Gathering of the Vibes is an annual music, arts and camping festival now in its 20th year. Vibes has grown into a four-day festival that has featured such world-class talent as Crosby, Stills and Nash; all original members of the Grateful Dead; the Allman Brothers Band; Jane’s Addiction; James Brown; the Black Crowes; Buddy Guy; Elvis Costello; George Clinton and P-Funk; Bruce Hornsby; Les Claypool; and many, many more big names, while continuing to showcase extraordinarily talented, young, up-and-coming bands to the 20 thousand people who attend each year.

Held in six different venues over its eighteen years, Vibes 2014 marked the festival’s tenth return to Seaside Park in Bridgeport, CT, making Seaside Park the Vibes venue more than any other place.

Vibes 2015 promises to be even more spectacular!
Visit the website for this year’s lineup and ticket details.

More Info

“Plegaria” by Yolanda Vasquez Petrocelli

CALL FOR ART : City Lights Annual Members Exhibit
City Lights Gallery
Exhibit on View: 8/13-9/19
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: 7/25/15

Event Description: The purpose of the Annual Members exhibit is to build community, show new work and present a diverse sampling of regional art . It is the one time a year that City Lights requests a $50 contribution in the form of an exhibiting members fee. (Most events and programs are free admission.)  Exhibiting members receive a 70% commission rate, and the guarantee to exhibit in a minimum of one show per year.

AN ADDITIONAL BENEFIT: Join us at our annual fundraiser on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015 at Captain’s Cove.
Exhibiting members who contribute $50 are invited to attend this City Lights event as our guest. To participate please make a donation to City Lights & Company, or go to our website www.citylightsgallery.org  and contribute via PayPal.

For more info or to send art for submission email us at clgallerybpt@gmail.com  by July 25, 2015. Please use “Art for submission” in the subject title. Submit images of work in jpeg form, an artist’s statement, and price list that includes title, size, medium.

More Info

CURRENT EXHIBITIONS ON VIEW

ART EXHIBITION: Bridging the Gap
Read’s Ground Floor Gallery, Read’s Artspace
On Exhibition: July 3rd-August 5th

Event Description:
Graffiti-inspired and fine art meet in this multifaceted exhibit featuring work from both resident and guest artists.

Gallery Hours:
Fridays 4-9PM
Saturdays 12-6PM
Sundays 12-6PM

More Info

ART EXHIBIT : Remythologies: New Inventions of Old Stories
Housatonic Museum of Art, The Burt Chernow Galleries
On View: June 11 through July 24, 2015

Event Description:
The Housatonic Museum of Art presents Remythologies: New Inventions of Old Stories curated by Stephen Vincent Kobasa. This exhibit will be on view in the Burt Chernow Galleries, 900 Lafayette Blvd., Bridgeport, CT., from June 11 through July 24, 2015. The Burt Chernow Galleries are free and open to the public. Click here for gallery hours.

How do we account for the survival of stories? Poets and cultures die, but their necessary and remarkable lies still continue to be accounted for. Although the forms these works are given also have a history, it is what they contain that is the most accurate measure of our defining memories.

There is no art-making that does not confront the past, but there is art which reinvents that past without abandoning it. A struggle against tradition still depends upon what it opposes. As the writer Berger Evans once noted, “We may be through with the past, but the past is not through with us.” This exhibition is meant as a study of what our past still demands that we must either embrace or defy.

Artists included in this exhibit: Jason Buening (New Haven), Susan Classen-Sullivan (Canterbury), Jaclyn Conley (Brooklyn), William DeLottie (Pomfret), Kevin Harty (West Haven), Will Holub (Mystic), Brian Huff (New Haven), Nathan Lewis (Seymour), Phil Lique (New Haven), Nomi Lubin (New Haven), Willard Lustenader (New Haven), Margaret Roleke (Redding), Joseph Saccio (New Haven), Kyle Staver (Brooklyn, NY) and Mark Williams (New Haven).

More Info

 FEATURED ARTIST: JULY
 RICKY MESTRE
ARTIST STATEMENT
Ricky Mestre of Stratford CT is a Puerto Rican artist who studied Illustration at the University of Bridgeport where he received his Bachelor’s Degree. Some of his work is inspired by religious icons and stained glass windows from the Catholic Church.  It also draws upon urban Latino culture and its people and themes relevant to the LGBT community.  His style ranges from dramatic and emotional images to more childlike and cute cartoons. His work can be seen rendered through acrylic paint, pastels, pen and ink, mixed media or digitally. Over the years he has been recognized and awarded for his talents. Galleries and museums across the state featuring his work include the Discovery Museum and City Lights Gallery in Bridgeport, Knights of Columbus Museum and the Small Space Gallery in New Haven and the Mattatuck Museum in Waterbury.To see more of Ricky Mestre’s work and read more about his story visit rickymestre.com

To Russia With Love” – Ricky Mestre
They are usually emotional pieces with a strong message of something important to me. There’s a heaviness to some of the themes that many people have related to. 
“Indian Pride” – Ricky Mestre
Q. How would you describe your artwork/style?
A. I use a few different styles in my art but people seem to notice a trait in my pieces that they immediately recognize as my work. I think what stays consistent is the fact that the subject matter is almost always people. And those people almost always have a very strong young, Latin and urban feel about them. They notice the outline around the figures which connect both to the cartoon art I grew up doing as well as the stained glassed windows I came to appreciate growing up in the Catholic Church. They are usually emotional pieces with a strong message of something important to me. There’s a heaviness to some of the themes that many people have related to.Q. What medium do you work in?
A. All of my paintings on canvas are done in acrylics, and I also work with pastels, charcoal, watercolors, ink and digital media.

Q. What is your process like? 
A. Typically I’ll write a list of themes I want to work with and do a number of very rough sketches of stick figures for them. Next I’ll look for a friend to photograph to use as a reference shot. We’ll usually start with a pose that mimics the stick figures and then we’ll build from there trying out different positions that can connect with the theme. Once I’ve selected the picture to work from I’ll transfer the outline of it on to the canvass with a projector and begin the painting process. Sometimes  it will be all mapped out from the beginning but often I’ll add details to it along the way that are completely random. Music plays a part in my process as it helps me get into the mood of the painting I am creating so I can feel what I am making.

Q. What inspires you?
A. Inspiration can come from different sources and sometimes strike at odd times. I’ve found inspiration in sadness and pain. Sometimes it’s my own or it can be from someone close to me. People’s struggles and conflicts can be very inspiring when there is passion in their fight.  Other times inspiration can come from the face of a total stranger.

“It’s a frustrating thing to try to create what is in your mind and censor yourself at the same time to accommodate other people who may not understand it. I stopped letting the fear of being rejected dictate what I make.”
“Spiritual Awakening” – Ricky Mestre
Q. How do you think you’ve changed or developed as an artist?
A. I feel I am still developing as an artist, but I can look back and see a growth–a growth not so much in style and technique, but one in the freedom of my expression. It’s a frustrating thing to try to create what is in your mind and censor yourself at the same time to accommodate other people who may not understand it. I stopped letting the fear of being rejected dictate what I make.Q. Can you tell me about your role as the chairman for the SAMESEX exhibit at City Lights Gallery?  
A. It’s been challenging and rewarding at the same time. A lot of time and effort went into arranging this show.  I felt it was needed to bring visibility to the LGBT art community and to show things they could identify with.  I also needed to create new works for it as well. Scheduling time to paint in my studio was important, so I’m thankful that the staff of the City Lights Gallery were so helpful in the process.
Q. What are your thoughts on the gender identity theme of this year’s exhibit and why do you think it’s an important topic to address and explore through the arts? A. We live in a society where people try to understand things by categorizing them with labels and words to help them better define it for themselves. The theme of gender identity is one that I think many people are still pretty unclear about. It can be very complex but I think when we use a creative tool like art we can educate ourselves about it. It’s necessary to address themes like this because it’s the only way people can begin to understand it better.

“When Will it Get Better” – Ricky Mestre
Q. The exhibit is especially timely with the recent ruling by the Supreme Court on marriage equality. How do you think the developing political climate has influenced you personally as artist? How do you think it has impacted/will continue to impact art on this subject in general? 
A. I guess we can say it’s one giant leap for mankind. But while we celebrated that victory we understood that there were still a lot of challenges that we still have to work through. Our nation was pretty split on this issue so half the people in the country are unhappy about this ruling. Those same people will continue to reject us, harass us, beat us and even disown us. The irony of people who use God’s name to defend their bigoted views always amazes me. But since conflict and pain seem to inspire many artists, including me, I suppose we’ll still be able to draw from that and make art. On a lighter side, we should expect to see more choices of wedding cards catered to same sex couples. Artists will be needed for that.
“A Scout is Proud” – Ricky Mestre

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BPT Art Trail Newsletter – June 24th

BRIDGEPORT ART TRAIL NEWSLETTER

Welcome to our Bridgeport Art Trail newsletter, providing a listing of arts and cultural events.

It’s officially summer and with it are several fantastic outdoor cultural events in Bridgeport!

Downtown Thursdays, McLevy Green’s summer concert series continues this week with Boxcar Jones & Jessie’s Girl Bridgeport Symphony Pops Concert kicks-off the Seaside Park Skyblast Fireworks Show, and The 2015 Bridgeport Arts Fest takes place on July 11th.

Plus, don’t miss City Lights Gallery’s SAMESEX 2015 EXHIBIT and PRIDE MARCH. The gender inclusive art exhibit of painting, photography, wigs, head dresses, fabric art, and projected art opens Thursday, July 9th with a street party and live music!  

We’re also happy to feature artist Caroline Valites as our June Artist of the Month!

Valites, who has a studio and is a Board Member at Bridgeport’s American Fabrics Building (AMFAB), works with alternative process photography, installation, sound, and sculpture. She describes her work, “Through these mediums I explore the complexities that exist between human suffering and the phenomenon of the physical world in which we live.  Tools such as photography are emblematic of our difficulties with loss.”

Be sure to check out all the details below!

-The Bridgeport Art Trail Team

Check out the full calendar of Bridgeport Art listings at the Bridgeport Art Trail Website.

VISIT THE BRIDGEPORT ART TRAIL WEBSITE

LIVE MUSIC: Downtown Thursdays
McLevy Green
Thursday’s in June & July, 5-8pm
Starting June 18th

Event Description: Downtown Thursdays is a FREE weekly outdoor summer concert series that happens every Thursday at McLevy Green (5:30-9PM) in Downtown Bridgeport from June 18 to July 23.

Downtown Thursdays features local and area musicians. Lawn chairs and leashed pets are welcome! Invite your friends, family, co-workers and neighbors, and visit some of the fantastic downtown restaurants and businesses.

Jessie’s Girl and Boxcar Jones
June 18, 2015

Jessie’s Girl – The Worlds Hottest ’80s Tribute Band – they are ready to rock the stage on the Green! Come out and hear their renditions of hits songs while dressed up as unforgettable characters of that decade! A performance like no other, and a party you have to experience to believe.

Boxcar Jones came together to honor and celebrate the music of James Taylor. The band is comprised of well-known musicians from the east coast.

Tim McDonald – Guitar/Vocals (Danny Kortchmar, Burt Teague)
Matt Oestreicher – Keyboards/Vocals (Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys)
David Livolsi – Bass (John Scofield, Roberta Flack)
John Durso – Drums (The Sims Brothers)

NEW TO DOWNTOWN THURSDAYS!
We will be hosting an after party to this year’s summer concert series after every show at one of our Downtown locations! This show’s after party will be at Barnum Publick House.

More Info

SPECIAL EVENT : Greater Bridgeport Symphony Pops Concert
Friday, June 26, 2015 at the Bandshell in Seaside Park
Sponsored by Elizabeth M. Pfriem
Concert begins at 7:30 PM
Concert is FREE

 VIP seating available for $25 per person

Event Description: The Greater Bridgeport Symphony returns to Seaside Park for a fabulous Pops concert under the stars, the prelude to the exciting Skyblast Fireworks show. Bring your lawn chair or blanket and snacks, or come to the Barnum Skyblast Clambake!

Arrive early (6:15 PM) and enjoy Steve D’Agostino – Singin’ & Swingin’ The Great American Songbook.

Steve D’Agostino has been performing the songs from the “Great American Songbook” for over 30 years. His journey to a commitment of “expression” through the music and lyrics made popular in the United States and around the world by vocalist such as Frank Sinatra, Bobby Darin, Tony Bennett, Dean Martin, took root a long time ago.

Steve’s years of experience are evident with every performance as he tenderly delivers melodies on ballads or relaxes the placement of a lyric on any “medium” to “up-tempo” swing tune. This vocal artistry has taken Steve from “coast to coast” and through the dedication of he and his live band, Steve has become “the standard” of this genre of music on the local scene.

Steve’s debut album “The Great American Songbook” has sold internationally since 2010. His second album, “Live At The Metropolitan Room” was just released in April 2015. http://www.stevedagostino.com/

More Info

ART EXHIBIT: SAMESEX 2015
City Lights Gallery
Opening Recption, Thursday, July 9th, 5:30-9:00PM

Description: SAMESEX 2015 at City Lights Gallery is a gender inclusive art exhibit and event of painting, photography, wigs, head dresses, fabric art, and projected art. Featured work includes photographic and audio documentation of individuals expressing their thoughts on gender identity by “Gender Projected” fabric art by Nancy Moore and Ellen Schinderman and lenticular images by Miggs Burroughs that change as the viewer walks by.

OPENING RECEPTION THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015, 5:30-9:00 p.m.
$10 Suggested Donation.
The exhibit and opening festivities celebrate gender equality for all, discrimination for none and the creativity of the artist community. SUPPORT City Lights with a $10 admission fee and receive 2 drink tickets, enjoy food, live music and activities.

EXHIBITING ARTISTS INCLUDE: Miggs Borroughs, Patte Corcoran, Sue Czark, David Enriquez, Daniel Eugene, Thomas Evans, Arthur Gerstein, Kenn Hopkins, Cassandra Mendoza, Ricky Mestre, Cherish Minor, Stefan Novotny, Joe Radoccia, Sassie Saltimboca, Santiago Sanchez, Ellen Schinderman, Richard Taddei

SAMESEX Drag Contest & Pride Parade
As a part of the Annual 2015 SAMESEX Art Exhibit at City Lights Gallery “Opening Night Festivities” there will be a “DRAG CONTEST for QUEENS & KINGS”!! THREE $100 PRIZES for the categories of “BEST HAIR”, “BEST MAKE-UP” & “BEST OVERALL LOOK”! The 2015 theme for the SAMESEX Art Exhibit is “Gender Identity”. Contestants must register the day of the event & participate in the PRIDE PARADE culminating the evening events to be entered!

More Info

SPECIAL EVENT: Bridgeport Arts Fest
McLevy Green
SAVE THE DATE: July 11th

Event Description: The Bridgeport Arts Fest is a one day celebration of LOCAL + ORIGINAL art, artists, crafters, community organizations and performers that takes place in downtown Bridgeport at historic McLevy Green on July 11, 2015 from 10am to 6pm, and is followed immediately by the After-Party (6-11pm). The Arts Fest is a family- and community-friendly affair and is FREE to attend. In addition to artists, you’ll enjoy live entertainment, activities, demonstrations and area food and drinks.

More Info

CALL FOR MODELS AND INTERVIEWS: Gender Projected

Gender, Projected is currently seeking models for City Lights Gallery’s 5th Annual “SAMESEX” Exhibit, which opens on July 9th, 2015 in Bridgeport, CT. If you or anyone you know is interested in modeling, please contact us at genderprojected@gmail.com.You can also get involved by visiting
http://genderprojected.wix.com/gender-projected

More Info

“Plegaria” by Yolanda Vasquez Petrocelli

CALL FOR ART : City Lights Annual Members Exhibit
City Lights Gallery
Exhibit on View: 8/13-9/19
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: 7/25/15

Event Description: The purpose of the Annual Members exhibit is to build community, show new work and present a diverse sampling of regional art . It is the one time a year that City Lights requests a $50 contribution in the form of an exhibiting members fee. (Most events and programs are free admission.)  Exhibiting members receive a 70% commission rate, and the guarantee to exhibit in a minimum of one show per year.

AN ADDITIONAL BENEFIT: Join us at our annual fundraiser on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015 at Captain’s Cove.
Exhibiting members who contribute $50 are invited to attend this City Lights event as our guest. To participate please make a donation to City Lights & Company, or go to our website www.citylightsgallery.org  and contribute via PayPal.

For more info or to send art for submission email us at clgallerybpt@gmail.com  by July 25, 2015. Please use “Art for submission” in the subject title. Submit images of work in jpeg form, an artist’s statement, and price list that includes title, size, medium.

More Info

CURRENT EXHIBITIONS ON VIEW

ART EXHIBITION: “A Lifetime Making Comics”
City Lights Gallery
On Exhibition: May 28th-June 27th 2015

Event Description:
SHAZAAM! Look up in the sky… it is a bird, a plane… No, it’s the City Lights banner at 37 Markle Court… heralding the new exhibit, “A LIFETIME MAKING COMICS” featuring the creators and artists of Beetle Bailey, the Flash, Superman, DONDI, Wonder Woman, Dennis the Menace, The Green Lantern, Hi and Lois, Batman and more. The exhibit is free and open to the public and will run to June 27, 2015. .

View original art, working sketches, prints and original copies for sale.  Local artists include, Chance Brown, Frank McLaughlin, Mort, Brian and Greg Walker and Irwin Hasen.  This exhibit is in memory of Irwin, who recently passed at 96, after a long lifetime of making comics, which included the comic strip DONDI.

Special Thanks to Dan Makara  and Frank McLaughlin for their assistance with the coordination of the exhibit and lending art from their private collections.

Check out the article “Comic-book legend Irwin Hasen remembered at City Lights” in the CT Post!

More Info

Art Attribution: Beetle Bailey by Mort, Brian and Greg Walker  Dondi and All Star Comics illustrations by Irwin Hasen

ART EXHIBIT : Remythologies: New Inventions of Old Stories
Housatonic Museum of Art, The Burt Chernow Galleries
On View: June 11 through July 24, 2015

Event Description:
The Housatonic Museum of Art presents Remythologies: New Inventions of Old Stories curated by Stephen Vincent Kobasa. This exhibit will be on view in the Burt Chernow Galleries, 900 Lafayette Blvd., Bridgeport, CT., from June 11 through July 24, 2015. The Burt Chernow Galleries are free and open to the public. Click here for gallery hours.

How do we account for the survival of stories? Poets and cultures die, but their necessary and remarkable lies still continue to be accounted for. Although the forms these works are given also have a history, it is what they contain that is the most accurate measure of our defining memories.

There is no art-making that does not confront the past, but there is art which reinvents that past without abandoning it. A struggle against tradition still depends upon what it opposes. As the writer Berger Evans once noted, “We may be through with the past, but the past is not through with us.” This exhibition is meant as a study of what our past still demands that we must either embrace or defy.

Artists included in this exhibit: Jason Buening (New Haven), Susan Classen-Sullivan (Canterbury), Jaclyn Conley (Brooklyn), William DeLottie (Pomfret), Kevin Harty (West Haven), Will Holub (Mystic), Brian Huff (New Haven), Nathan Lewis (Seymour), Phil Lique (New Haven), Nomi Lubin (New Haven), Willard Lustenader (New Haven), Margaret Roleke (Redding), Joseph Saccio (New Haven), Kyle Staver (Brooklyn, NY) and Mark Williams (New Haven).

More Info

 FEATURED ARTIST: JUNE
 CAROLINE VALITES

Photographic Skeuomorph

ARTIST STATEMENT
Our actions and thoughts are negotiated within the privacy of our minds.This isolation is one of the greatest and most difficult elements of being.  Language, spoken or physical, is our only conduit for relaying thoughts to one another, and is just as complex and fragile a system as light or sound. As we continue to participate in a technologically driven culture of connectivity and distance our relationship to the corporeal becomes more and more significant and at stake.I work with alternative process photography, installation, sound, and sculpture.  Through these mediums I explore the complexities that exist between human suffering and the phenomenon of the physical world in which we live.  Tools such as photography are emblematic of our difficulties with loss.  The photograph is symbolic of our longing to make a moment permanent.  Science and religion attempt to answer many of our difficult existential questions but both are inadequate.  As a society we have designed technologies such as the Internet that attempt to bridge the distance between us metaphorically and physically.  Ironically, the internet and its devices become both a conduit and a barrier.  The Internet allows us to passively communicate, but lessens our evolvement and effect on one another.
Language, spoken or physical, is our only conduit for relaying thoughts to one another, and is just as complex and fragile a system as light or sound… I work with alternative process photography, installation, sound, and sculpture.  Through these mediums I explore the complexities that exist between human suffering and the phenomenon of the physical world in which we live.
I am classically trained in analogue and alternative photographic mediums.  I treat photography as a material.  I am interested in processes that are rigorous and methodical in their preparation and practice.  Although working in the darkroom is an experience I enjoy most, the lag between making and viewing limits the viewer’s ability to see evidence of the process in the final image.  In practicing photography I find myself most interested in the camera as an apparatus.  The camera is much like the human body; it sees, absorbs and records memory.  For me, installation enables the viewer to become both participants and observers in the work.  I use room size camera obscuras, the pinhole, light and projection as well as magnetism and sound in my installations.Where there are connections there are possibilities for gaps.  Much of my work expresses anxieties associated with uncertainty.  Whether it is love and loss, science and religion, language and empathy, or technology and communication as humans we ebb and flow through moments of clarity where we ask questions that lead back to moments of entropic confusion.
A Series Between Events
Where there are connections there are possibilities for gaps.  Much of my work expresses anxieties associated with uncertainty.  Whether it is love and loss, science and religion, language and empathy, or technology and communication as humans we ebb and flow through moments of clarity where we ask questions that lead back to moments of entropic confusion.
Q. How would you describe your artwork/style?
A. My work is most often photographic based, but I do not lend myself to a specific medium.  It straddles the line between conceptual and process oriented art.  I use metaphor to create emotionally charged work that often deals with uncertainty and loss.  Ultimately my work is autobiographical, but that may not be apparent to the viewer.Q. What medium do you work in?
A. I do not discriminate against media, however I tend to work with ephemeral and non-material like media such as light, sound, and magnetism.  I always love to get my hands in alternative photographic chemistry.  I also enjoy building and making interactive installations.Q. What is your process like? 
A. It depends, I typically have two modes of working, but it’s usually project based.  One mode is to plan a project based off of conceptual components that will be the basis for most of the decisions in the work.  The other process is simply experimenting.  Whether it is darkroom photography or the double slit theory, I become fascinated with the system, and it then becomes a starting point for a project.
What inspires you?
Physical phenomenology, and my background in science and photography are not only inspiration but incorporated as elements within my work. 
Corporeal Thresholds
Q. How do you think you’ve changed or developed as an artist?
A. In my formative years I strictly used photography as my medium.  During my time in grad school at the University of Massachusetts Amherst I began to use sound, light, wood, sculpture and installation.  My art has always had a psychological and philosophical component but during grad school I was able hone in and develop a deeper understanding of my work.Q. Can you tell me about your role at the American Fabrics Building?
A. Currently, I have a studio at the American Fabrics Building and I am on the board, which organizes events such as the American Fabrics Open Studios.  I organized and participate in a weekly academic based crit group.  Our goal is to facilitate conversation and excitement about art making, and to foster collaborations and connections outside the academic sphere.Q. What was one of your favorite projects to be a part of?
A. Last open studios I organised a participatory installation in the parking lot of the American Fabrics building.  I set up a camera obscura looking out at a purposely upside down and backwards sculpture fixed to the side of the building.  My part was to explain what a camera obscura is and I encouraged them to photograph their experience with their smartphone cameras.  I loved seeing the joy on everyone’s face when they realized they were seeing the outside world projected inside.

You can look at their beautiful work on the American Fabrics Facebook page here:

Q. Bridgeport continues to be a site that artists are attracted to. Why did you decide to pursue your art here in Bridgeport at AMFAB? How do you think the arts can impact the city?

A. I studied alternative photographic processes under Thomas Mezzanotte at the American Fabrics Building on and off from 2001-2010.  During my intern and assistantship I became friends with the community and decided to share a space with Richard Killearney of Ocheltree design.  Not only did I bond with the artists in the building but we have such a huge range of skill and talent that as a community we can accomplish anything.  If I need help with a welding project, sewing project, graphic design project – there is someone who would love to help.  Artists impact cities because we have such an incredible ability to foster community and problem solve.  We are great at organizing and creating events that build morale and excitement.

Q. Anything else you’d like to share?
A. Stay tuned for updates on upcoming exhibits and events!

Learn More about Caroline Valites at:  www.carolinevalites.com

Camera Obscura
Wave Propogration Between Two Absolutes 

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BPT Art Trail Newsletter – June 10th

BRIDGEPORT ART TRAIL NEWSLETTER

Welcome to our Bridgeport Art Trail newsletter, providing a listing of arts and cultural events.

It’s June and Bridgeport arts and culture is heating up with several outdoor live music events, special Barnum Festival programming, and unique exhibitions!

This week The Housatonic Museum of Art’s new exhibit “Remythologies: New Inventions of Old Stories” opens Thursday, June 11th. Or film buffs can catch the classic Murder in the First as part of the Bijou Theatre’s “Reel Law” series.

Writers can share and develop their craft at the workshop “The Writer’s Group” at City Lights Gallery. City Lights Gallery also has its exhibit “A Lifetime Making Comics” on view.

Downtown Thursdays, McLevy Green’s summer concert series kicks off Thursday, July 18th with Alternate Roots and Remember September. And for more outdoor music check out the Bridgeport Symphony Pops Concert at Seaside Park for the Skyblast Fireworks Show!

Plus, we’re happy to feature artist Caroline Valites as our June Artist of the Month!

Valites, who has a studio and is a Board Member at Bridgeport’s American Fabrics Building (AMFAB), works with alternative process photography, installation, sound, and sculpture. She describes her work, “Through these mediums I explore the complexities that exist between human suffering and the phenomenon of the physical world in which we live.  Tools such as photography are emblematic of our difficulties with loss.”

Be sure to check out all the details below!

-The Bridgeport Art Trail Team

Check out the full calendar of Bridgeport Art listings at the Bridgeport Art Trail Website.

VISIT THE BRIDGEPORT ART TRAIL WEBSITE

ART EXHIBIT : Remythologies: New Inventions of Old Stories
Housatonic Museum of Art, The Burt Chernow Galleries
Reception Thursday, June 11 from 5:30 – 7:00 pm
On View: June 11 through July 24, 2015

Event Description:
The Housatonic Museum of Art presents Remythologies: New Inventions of Old Stories curated by Stephen Vincent Kobasa. This exhibit will be on view in the Burt Chernow Galleries, 900 Lafayette Blvd., Bridgeport, CT., from June 11 through July 24, 2015 with a reception on Thursday, June 11 from 5:30 – 7:00 pm. The Burt Chernow Galleries are free and open to the public. Click here for gallery hours.

How do we account for the survival of stories? Poets and cultures die, but their necessary and remarkable lies still continue to be accounted for. Although the forms these works are given also have a history, it is what they contain that is the most accurate measure of our defining memories.

There is no art-making that does not confront the past, but there is art which reinvents that past without abandoning it. A struggle against tradition still depends upon what it opposes. As the writer Berger Evans once noted, “We may be through with the past, but the past is not through with us.” This exhibition is meant as a study of what our past still demands that we must either embrace or defy.

Artists included in this exhibit: Jason Buening (New Haven), Susan Classen-Sullivan (Canterbury), Jaclyn Conley (Brooklyn), William DeLottie (Pomfret), Kevin Harty (West Haven), Will Holub (Mystic), Brian Huff (New Haven), Nathan Lewis (Seymour), Phil Lique (New Haven), Nomi Lubin (New Haven), Willard Lustenader (New Haven), Margaret Roleke (Redding), Joseph Saccio (New Haven), Kyle Staver (Brooklyn, NY) and Mark Williams (New Haven).

More Info

FILM: Reel Law – Murder in the First
Bijou Theatre
Thursday, June 11th
Doors open: 6:00pm, Film starts: 7:00pm

Film Description: This shocking prison drama was inspired by a true story. In 1938, Henri Young (Kevin Bacon), sentenced to Alcatraz for stealing $5, attempted to escape from prison with three other prisoners. One of the escapees was captured, and to curry favor with Warden Glenn (Gary Oldman), he informed on the others. Young was soon brought back to custody, and was to be punished by spending 19 days in solitary confinement. Nineteen days stretched into three years, in which Young was kept in a pit with no light, no toilet, no furniture, and nothing to read. Young emerged from solitary a vengeful madman, and he quickly murdered the convict who turned him in. Young was put on trial for the killing, and assigned a first-time public defender, James Stamphill (Christian Slater). Stamphill was horrified by Young’s tales of the conditions at Alcatraz, and he used them as the basis of his defense for his client, believing that anyone would be driven to madness and murder if they had been treated the same way as Young. Murder in the First also features Embeth Davidtz, William H. Macy, Brad Dourif, and R. Lee Ermey.

Event Description: Stay after for a discussion of the legal issues discussed in the film. Refreshments provided.

More Info

LITERARY: The Writers Group
City Lights Gallery
Saturday, June 13th, 2-4pm

Event Description: The Writer’s Group is a space for people who love words to gather and create new work. The mission is to use prompts and other creative tools to motivate the creative process. It also creates a space to share and get a reaction from other writers who can advise us on how to revise and enhance our work. This is not an open mic or showcase. This is a place to develop our writing.

Bring paper, a pen and an open mind.
Admission is free

More Info

LIVE MUSIC: Downtown Thursdays
McLevy Green
Thursday’s in June & July, 5-8pm
Starting June 18th

Event Description: Downtown Thursdays is a FREE weekly outdoor summer concert series that happens every Thursday at McLevy Green (5:30-9PM) in Downtown Bridgeport from June 18 to July 23.

Downtown Thursdays features local and area musicians. Lawn chairs and leashed pets are welcome! Invite your friends, family, co-workers and neighbors, and visit some of the fantastic downtown restaurants and businesses.

The Alternate Routes w/Remember September
June 18, 2015

For the first concert of 2015 on June 18, we are thrilled to bring you two amazing rock bands that call this area home… The Alternate Routes and Remember September!

Remember September is a Trumbull, CT based indie rock band that has come a long way since forming nearly seven years ago. Their harmonic blending of vocals and instrumentation creates a truly unique sound which appeals to a wide variety of musical genres and can be enjoyed across all age ranges.

The Alternate Routes is an American rock band duo who’ve been writing songs and playing shows, and touring in their trusty Ford Econoline Van for over a decade. Taking pride in their unique sound and versatility, The Alternate Routes are equally comfortable getting loud as a six piece in a rock club or stripping things down as an acoustic duo for theaters and intimate venues.

More Info

SPECIAL EVENT : Greater Bridgeport Symphony Pops Concert
Friday, June 26, 2015 at the Bandshell in Seaside Park
Sponsored by Elizabeth M. Pfriem
Concert begins at 7:30 PM
Concert is FREE

 VIP seating available for $25 per person

Event Description: The Greater Bridgeport Symphony returns to Seaside Park for a fabulous Pops concert under the stars, the prelude to the exciting Skyblast Fireworks show. Bring your lawn chair or blanket and snacks, or come to the Barnum Skyblast Clambake!

Arrive early (6:15 PM) and enjoy Steve D’Agostino – Singin’ & Swingin’ The Great American Songbook.

Steve D’Agostino has been performing the songs from the “Great American Songbook” for over 30 years. His journey to a commitment of “expression” through the music and lyrics made popular in the United States and around the world by vocalist such as Frank Sinatra, Bobby Darin, Tony Bennett, Dean Martin, took root a long time ago.

Steve’s years of experience are evident with every performance as he tenderly delivers melodies on ballads or relaxes the placement of a lyric on any “medium” to “up-tempo” swing tune. This vocal artistry has taken Steve from “coast to coast” and through the dedication of he and his live band, Steve has become “the standard” of this genre of music on the local scene.

Steve’s debut album “The Great American Songbook” has sold internationally since 2010. His second album, “Live At The Metropolitan Room” was just released in April 2015. http://www.stevedagostino.com/

More Info

SPECIAL EVENT: Bridgeport Arts Fest
McLevy Green
SAVE THE DATE: July 11th

Event Description: The Bridgeport Arts Fest is a one day celebration of LOCAL + ORIGINAL art, artists, crafters, community organizations and performers that takes place in downtown Bridgeport at historic McLevy Green on July 11, 2015 from 10am to 6pm, and is followed immediately by the After-Party (6-11pm). The Arts Fest is a family- and community-friendly affair and is FREE to attend. In addition to artists, you’ll enjoy live entertainment, activities, demonstrations and area food and drinks.

More Info

CALL FOR MODELS AND INTERVIEWS: Gender Projected

Gender, Projected is currently seeking models for City Lights Gallery’s 5th Annual “SAMESEX” Exhibit, which opens on July 9th, 2015 in Bridgeport, CT. If you or anyone you know is interested in modeling, please contact us at genderprojected@gmail.com.

You can also get involved by visiting
http://genderprojected.wix.com/gender-projected

More Info

CURRENT EXHIBITIONS ON VIEW

ART EXHIBITION: “A Lifetime Making Comics”
City Lights Gallery
On Exhibition: May 28th-June 27th 2015

Event Description:
SHAZAAM! Look up in the sky… it is a bird, a plane… No, it’s the City Lights banner at 37 Markle Court… heralding the new exhibit, “A LIFETIME MAKING COMICS” featuring the creators and artists of Beetle Bailey, the Flash, Superman, DONDI, Wonder Woman, Dennis the Menace, The Green Lantern, Hi and Lois, Batman and more. The exhibit is free and open to the public  and will run to June 27, 2015. .

View original art, working sketches, prints and original copies for sale.  Local artists include, Chance Brown, Frank McLaughlin, Mort, Brian and Greg Walker and Irwin Hasen.  This exhibit is in memory of Irwin, who recently passed at 96, after a long lifetime of making comics, which included the comic strip DONDI. Special Thanks to Frank McLaughlin for his assistance with the coordination of the exhibit which will also include chosen work of his students from Paeir School of Art in Hamden.

Check out the article “Comic-book legend Irwin Hasen remembered at City Lights” in the CT Post!

More Info

Art Attribution: Beetle Bailey by Mort, Brian and Greg Walker  Dondi and All Star Comics illustrations by Irwin Hasen
 FEATURED ARTIST: JUNE
 CAROLINE VALITES

Photographic Skeuomorph

ARTIST STATEMENT
Our actions and thoughts are negotiated within the privacy of our minds.This isolation is one of the greatest and most difficult elements of being.  Language, spoken or physical, is our only conduit for relaying thoughts to one another, and is just as complex and fragile a system as light or sound. As we continue to participate in a technologically driven culture of connectivity and distance our relationship to the corporeal becomes more and more significant and at stake.

I work with alternative process photography, installation, sound, and sculpture.  Through these mediums I explore the complexities that exist between human suffering and the phenomenon of the physical world in which we live.  Tools such as photography are emblematic of our difficulties with loss.  The photograph is symbolic of our longing to make a moment permanent.  Science and religion attempt to answer many of our difficult existential questions but both are inadequate.  As a society we have designed technologies such as the Internet that attempt to bridge the distance between us metaphorically and physically.  Ironically, the internet and its devices become both a conduit and a barrier.  The Internet allows us to passively communicate, but lessens our evolvement and effect on one another.

Language, spoken or physical, is our only conduit for relaying thoughts to one another, and is just as complex and fragile a system as light or sound… I work with alternative process photography, installation, sound, and sculpture.  Through these mediums I explore the complexities that exist between human suffering and the phenomenon of the physical world in which we live.
I am classically trained in analogue and alternative photographic mediums.  I treat photography as a material.  I am interested in processes that are rigorous and methodical in their preparation and practice.  Although working in the darkroom is an experience I enjoy most, the lag between making and viewing limits the viewer’s ability to see evidence of the process in the final image.  In practicing photography I find myself most interested in the camera as an apparatus.  The camera is much like the human body; it sees, absorbs and records memory.  For me, installation enables the viewer to become both participants and observers in the work.  I use room size camera obscuras, the pinhole, light and projection as well as magnetism and sound in my installations.

Where there are connections there are possibilities for gaps.  Much of my work expresses anxieties associated with uncertainty.  Whether it is love and loss, science and religion, language and empathy, or technology and communication as humans we ebb and flow through moments of clarity where we ask questions that lead back to moments of entropic confusion.

A Series Between Events
Where there are connections there are possibilities for gaps.  Much of my work expresses anxieties associated with uncertainty.  Whether it is love and loss, science and religion, language and empathy, or technology and communication as humans we ebb and flow through moments of clarity where we ask questions that lead back to moments of entropic confusion.
Q. How would you describe your artwork/style?
A. My work is most often photographic based, but I do not lend myself to a specific medium.  It straddles the line between conceptual and process oriented art.  I use metaphor to create emotionally charged work that often deals with uncertainty and loss.  Ultimately my work is autobiographical, but that may not be apparent to the viewer.

Q. What medium do you work in?
A. I do not discriminate against media, however I tend to work with ephemeral and non-material like media such as light, sound, and magnetism.  I always love to get my hands in alternative photographic chemistry.  I also enjoy building and making interactive installations.

Q. What is your process like? 
A. It depends, I typically have two modes of working, but it’s usually project based.  One mode is to plan a project based off of conceptual components that will be the basis for most of the decisions in the work.  The other process is simply experimenting.  Whether it is darkroom photography or the double slit theory, I become fascinated with the system, and it then becomes a starting point for a project.

What inspires you?
Physical phenomenology, and my background in science and photography are not only inspiration but incorporated as elements within my work. 
Corporeal Thresholds
Q. How do you think you’ve changed or developed as an artist?
A. In my formative years I strictly used photography as my medium.  During my time in grad school at the University of Massachusetts Amherst I began to use sound, light, wood, sculpture and installation.  My art has always had a psychological and philosophical component but during grad school I was able hone in and develop a deeper understanding of my work.

Q. Can you tell me about your role at the American Fabrics Building?
A. Currently, I have a studio at the American Fabrics Building and I am on the board, which organizes events such as the American Fabrics Open Studios.  I organized and participate in a weekly academic based crit group.  Our goal is to facilitate conversation and excitement about art making, and to foster collaborations and connections outside the academic sphere.

Q. What was one of your favorite projects to be a part of?
A. Last open studios I organised a participatory installation in the parking lot of the American Fabrics building.  I set up a camera obscura looking out at a purposely upside down and backwards sculpture fixed to the side of the building.  My part was to explain what a camera obscura is and I encouraged them to photograph their experience with their smartphone cameras.  I loved seeing the joy on everyone’s face when they realized they were seeing the outside world projected inside.

You can look at their beautiful work on the American Fabrics Facebook page here:

Q. Bridgeport continues to be a site that artists are attracted to. Why did you decide to pursue your art here in Bridgeport at AMFAB? How do you think the arts can impact the city?

A. I studied alternative photographic processes under Thomas Mezzanotte at the American Fabrics Building on and off from 2001-2010.  During my intern and assistantship I became friends with the community and decided to share a space with Richard Killearney of Ocheltree design.  Not only did I bond with the artists in the building but we have such a huge range of skill and talent that as a community we can accomplish anything.  If I need help with a welding project, sewing project, graphic design project – there is someone who would love to help.  Artists impact cities because we have such an incredible ability to foster community and problem solve.  We are great at organizing and creating events that build morale and excitement.

Q. Anything else you’d like to share?
A. Stay tuned for updates on upcoming exhibits and events!

Learn More about Caroline Valites at:  www.carolinevalites.com

Camera Obscura
Wave Propogration Between Two Absolutes 

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Bridgeport Art Trail Newsletter : May 2015 – Part 2

BRIDGEPORT ART TRAIL NEWSLETTER

Welcome to our Bridgeport Art Trail newsletter, providing a listing of arts and cultural events.

The streets of Bridgeport are in full spring buzz as May comes to a close!

There’s a show for everyone at The Bijou Theatre and Downtown Cabaret TheatreThe Bijou Theatre stage hosts Hamlet and Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead. And just in time for Memorial Day the Bridgeport Theatre Company presents A Few Good Men.

Grab a specialty cocktail or dinner and check out Sam Morrow’s exhibition at the Barnum Publick House Gallery. The opening reception for the London-native turned Bridgeport artist is Wednesday, May 20th.

City Lights Gallery opens their new exhibition “A Lifetime Making Comics” on May 28th. The reception will also include a special performance of cartoon show theme songs by pianist Walter Duda. And don’t miss figure drawing/painting on May 30th!

Take to the seas with The Barnum Festival at the Barnum Sails the Sound event!
And join the conversation at the new Heart of the City series. The June 1st event features local speakers, live music, and a pop-up artisan market on McLevy Green.

Don’t miss upcoming calls for art including Connecticut Free Shakespeare and City Lights Gallery is also extending a call to all artists for its 5th annual Same Sex exhibit.

And The Nest Arts Factory has two exhibits on view: the encaustic themed Encased Exhibit and photography exhibit by Catherine Conroy – Sidewalks of Bridgeport. Plus, The Housatonic Museum of Art  present’s their student art exhibition,

Lastly, join us in celebrating The New England Ballet Company’s (NEBC) Kenneth Hopkins as our May Featured Artist!
Hopkins discusses how the NEBC has developed over the years, their new downtown Bridgeport location, and the transition from dancer to Executive Director

Be sure to check out all the details below!

-The Bridgeport Art Trail Team

Check out the full calendar of Bridgeport Art listings at the Bridgeport Art Trail Website.

VISIT THE BRIDGEPORT ART TRAIL WEBSITE

ART EXHIBITION: “A Lifetime Making Comics”
City Lights Gallery
Opening Reception: Thursday, May 28th, 5:30-8:30pm
On Exhibition: May 28th-June 27th 2015

Event Description:
SHAZAAM! Look up in the sky… it is a bird, a plane… No, it’s the City Lights banner at 37 Markle Court… heralding the new exhibit, “A LIFETIME MAKING COMICS” featuring the creators and artists of Beetle Bailey, the Flash, Superman, DONDI, Wonder Woman, Dennis the Menace, The Green Lantern, Hi and Lois, Batman and more. Enjoy cartoon show theme songs played by pianist Walter Duda at the opening reception on Thursday May 28, 5:30-8:30 p.m. The exhibit is free and open to the public  and will run to June 27, 2015. .

View original art, working sketches, prints and original copies for sale.  Local artists include, Chance Brown, Frank McLaughlin, Mort, Brian and Greg Walker and Irwin Hasen.  This exhibit is in memory of Irwin, who recently passed at 96, after a long lifetime of making comics, which included the comic strip DONDI. Special Thanks to Frank McLaughlin for his assistance with the coordination of the exhibit which will also include chosen work of his students from Paeir School of Art in Hamden.

Check out the article “Comic-book legend Irwin Hasen remembered at City Lights” in the CT Post!

More Info

Art Attribution: Beetle Bailey by Mort, Brian and Greg Walker  Dondi and All Star Comics illustrations by Irwin Hasen

ART EXHIBIT : The Paintings of Sam Morrow
Barnum Publick House Gallery
Wednesday, May 20th, 6-8PM

Event Description:
Please join us in welcoming artist Sam Morrow! A London native who came to Bridgeport via Virginia, Sam has a very interesting body of work. His contemporary approach to landscape, portrait and body studies reveal a master-painter’s thought process into the present and future of painting as a constantly evolving art form.  BootlegGreg Genias will be showing his own mastery of mixology, with the very best cocktails in town!

More Info

THEATER:  A Few Good Men
May 22-30, 2015
Downtown Cabaret Theatre
263 Golden Hill St
Bridgeport, CT 06604

Event Description: A Few Good Men, by Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing, The Social Network, The Newsroom) tells the story of military lawyers at a court-martial who uncover a high-level conspiracy in the course of defending their clients, United States Marines accused of murder. Sorkin adapted his work into a screenplay for a 1992 film directed by Rob Reiner, produced by Brown and starring Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, and Demi Moore.

More Info

THEATER: Hamlet / Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead
The Bijou Theatre
May 22nd-24th

Show Description: Hamlet, son of the king of Denmark, is summoned home for his father’s funeral and his mother’s wedding to his uncle. In a supernatural episode, he discovers that his uncle, whom he hates anyway, murdered his father. In an incredibly convoluted plot–the most complicated and most interesting in all literature–he manages to (impossible to put this in exact order) feign (or perhaps not to feign) madness, murder the “prime minister,” love and then unlove an innocent whom he drives to madness, plot and then unplot against the uncle, direct a play within a play, successfully conspire against the lives of two well-meaning friends, and finally take his revenge on the uncle, but only at the cost of almost every life on stage, including his own and his mother’s.

Show Description: The play concerns the misadventures and musings of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two minor characters from William Shakespeare’s Hamlet who are childhood friends of the prince, focusing on their actions with the events of Hamlet as background. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead is structured as the inverse of Hamlet; the title characters are the leads, not supporting players, and Hamlet himself has only a small part. The duo appears on stage here when they are off-stage in Shakespeare’s play, with the exception of a few short scenes in which the dramatic events of both plays coincide. In Hamlet, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are used by the King in an attempt to discover Hamlet’s motives and to plot against him. Hamlet, however, mocks them derisively and outwits them, so that they, rather than he, are executed in the end. Thus, from Rosencrantz’s and Guildenstern’s perspective, the action in Hamlet is largely nonsensical and comical.

DOUBLE SHOW DISCOUNT FOR SAME DAY ATTENDANCE:
$10 OFF when you buy tickets to both Rosencrantz and Hamlet for the same day.

More Info

SPECIAL EVENT: Barnum Sails the Sound/The Barnum Festival
Saturday, May 30, 2015
Bridgeport and Port Jefferson Ferry Dock
Water Street, Bridgeport
Dockside Dining: 5:15 PM
Boat Sails: 7:15 PM

Tickets: $50

Event Description: Join us for a spectacular evening as Barnum Sails the Sound! Enjoy a delicious dockside dinner, then come aboard and dance the night away to the “WhatUp Funk Band.” Bring your dancing shoes! Grab your family and friends and we’ll see you on board!

More Info

SPECIAL EVENT: Heart of the City
Monday, June 1st 5-8PM
McLevy Green, Bank Street


Event Description: It’s the 2nd event of the series and we’re kicking off summer in the best way. Join us outdoors at McLevy Green!

BYOPicnic, live music by Grit Rhythm, a new slew of awesome storytellers, and a pop market of CT’s finest crafters & artists.

Storytelling theme – “From Little Things, Big Things Grow: When small decisions lead to life successes.”

$5 suggested donation at event.

More Info

Photos by Catherine Conroy, Sidewalks of Bridgeport

VISUAL ART: Figure Drawing and Painting
City Lights Gallery
Saturday, May 30th, 3:30-6:30pm

Event Description: Figure drawing sessions for May at City Lights are scheduled for Weds. May 13, & 20, 6-9 p.m. and Sat May 30, 3:30-6:30 p.m. Please bring drawing materials and drawing board. The Wednesday evenings will be a long pose.

Sessions are designed as open studio time for drawing and painting from life. Without instruction. $15 model fee, $12 for City Lights members, $10 for students. Instruction available upon request.
Please RSVP at clgallerybpt@gmail.com

More Info

CALLS FOR ART

AUDITIONS : Connecticut Free Shakespeare: Mornings of April & May

Description:

Connecticut Free Shakespeare is having auditions for their 2015 season production of “Mornings of April & May” by Pedro Calderon de la Barca.

Equity Principal Auditions are Tuesday, May 26th (9:30AM – 5:30PM)
Non-Union Auditions are Wednesday, May 27th (12PM – 6PM)
Auditions are at the Downtown Cabaret Theater (263 Golden Hill Street, Bridgeport, CT 06604). The location is walking distance from Metro North “Bridgeport” stop.

Managing Artistic Dir./Stage Dir: Ellen Lieberman
Executive Producer: Bert Garskof
Casting: Ellen Lieberman and Bert Garskof

Rehearsals start 7/21/15. Performances run 8/5/15 – 8/9/15 outdoors at the CT Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport, CT. Housing for out-of-town actors is limited. CT residents or actors with CT housing are encouraged to attend.

WHAT TO PREPARE: Please prepare a brief comedic monologue. (Memorization preferred but not necessary.) Please prepare 16-32 bars of an uptempo comedic musical theatre song. No pop/rock. No accompaniment will be provided.

Please bring a headshot and resume stapled back-to-back.

CHARACTER BREAKDOWN: All roles are available (i.e. not yet offered and accepted) 5 AEA contracts are available (parts are doubled.)

  • DON HIPOLITO: He is a womanizer /lounge lizard/ a fun loving cad. He is secretly engaged to Clara.
  • DONA CLARA: She is independent and an early feminist in the 1600’s
  • DON LUIS: He defends his dead cousins honor- “you killed my cousin prepare to die”.
  • INES: She is a companion/chaperone/servant/ to Dona Clara. She is a romantic and her destiny is with Don Luis.
  • DON JUAN: Honorable to a fault, he is in love with Dona Ana. He killed Don Thomas in self -defense.
  • DON PEDRO: Always helpful, he is a nobleman in love with Dona Clara
  • LUCIA: She is a companion/chaperone/servant/ to Dona Ana. She and Arceo are in love.
  • DONA ANA: She pines for her love Don Juan who is in hiding.

All auditions are on a first-come, first-serve basis.

More Info

First Pride Parade in Downtown Bridgeport for the opening of SAMESEX exhibit 2014

CALL FOR ART: SAMESEX 2015
City Lights Gallery

DESCRIPTION: “SAMESEX”, City Lights Galley’s 5th annual gay-themed art show, opens July 9, 2015, with work that reflects the current LGBTQ zeitgeist.

City Lights is extending a call to all artists for our 5th annual Same Sex exhibit, scheduled to open Thursday, July 9, 2015.

SameSex explores LGBT themes, same-sex attraction, related feelings and issues of 2015.  This year’s suggested theme is “gender identity”. However artists can choose their own subject matter and need not be gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender to participate.

All artists are invited to submit jpegs of their work for consideration by June 5. 2015.
Artists will be notified by June 13, 2015.

For more info email clgallerybpt@gmail.com.

SUBMISSION DETAILS: There is no size limit to the dimension of art submitted, however larger works, over 60″ will be subject to space limitations.

SEND SUBMISSIONS IN JPEG FORMAT, (no more than 8 images), 72 DPI, DUE BY June 5, 2015 TO: clgallerybpt@gmail.com

NECESSARY INFO TO INCLUDE WITH SUBMISSION:
Brief artists statement, itemized list of art submitted should include:  title, size, medium, price of work, Works not for sale should include a value rather than a price. Also include artist’s contact info: name, email, phone (evening and daytime numbers), mailing address and website if available.

ACCEPTED ART TO BE DELIVERED BY: JUNE 25, 26, 27, 2015 Gallery hours, W-FRI 11:30-5, SAT 12-4, TH open ‘til 7. Art should be in excellent condition and ready to hang.

ABOUT: City Lights is a nonprofit, community based art organization located in downtown Bridgeport CT., easily accessible by Metro-North, Port Jeff Ferry, I-95 and the Merrit Parkway via the Route 25 Connector.

For more info please email us at: clgallerybpt@gmail.com
Visit Our Website: www.citylightsgallery.org

Gallery Hours:
Wednesday – Friday:  11:30 a.m. till 5:00 p.m.
Thursday: 11-7
Saturday:  12- 4:00 p.m.
By appointment

City Lights Gallery, 37 Markle Court, Bridgeport.  203-334-7748.
For more info: www.citylightsgallery.org .

More Info

CURRENT EXHIBITIONS ON VIEW

ART EXHIBITIONS: Encased /Sidewalks of Bridgeport
The Nest Arts Factory

Exhibit Description:
A stunning exhibit in the NEST Gallery featuring acclaimed local encaustic artists.
The exhibit runs from May 9-June 6, 2015

Exhibit Description:
Sidewalks of Bridgeport is a photographic series by Catherine Conroy. The exhibition will also feature Catherine’s photographs of musicians, the Majestic Theater, and the Remington Arms Factory.

More Info

ART EXHIBITION:  2015 HCC Student Art Exhibition
Housatonic Museum of Art: The Burt Chernow Galleries

Exhibit Description:
Don’t miss the 2015 HCC Student Art Exhibition on view through May 28th
Featuring special show of works by HCC Alumnus Leonard Lampugnale

More Info

 FEATURED ARTIST: MAY
 KENNETH HOPKINS
Executive Director of The New England Ballet Company
 NEW ENGLAND BALLET COMPANY MISSION STATEMENT
New England Ballet Company, founded in 1990 by Artistic Director Kenneth Hopkins, is committed to the belief that experiencing the performing arts is a vital element in the education of our children working under the initiative Dance:  Developing Appreciation and Nurturance in Cultural arts Education.  It exists to promote arts education and to serve the community by giving performing opportunities to dancers of all ages and levels.The dancers benefit from the experience of working with professional faculty, choreographers and guest artists, as well as professional directors, dancers, lighting, costume and set designers.  The community benefits from having its own ballet company whose local school and public performances enhance arts awareness and showcase local talent.  New England Ballet Company performances integrate the participation of students, parents, community and professional performers, civic groups, businesses, school administrators and dance enthusiasts.
From the recent “Birds of Ballet” performance at The Klein Memorial Auditorium.
Photographer: David Kent
This year for our 25th Season we hired our first professional contracted male dancer…I am quite proud to have this part of the “dream” become reality. Imagine how thrilled I was to discover Nicholas Franco was a Bridgeport resident, attended the MACH program in high school and graduated from The Hart School at University of Hartford with a BFA in Ballet Performance!.”-Kenneth Hamilton
Firebird Dance images
Photographer: David Kent
Q. How would you describe your artwork/style?
A. Performance Art through Classical Ballet.Q. What medium do you work in?   
A. Dance, Choreography, PerformanceQ. What is your process like? 
A. Teaching many weekly ballet technique classes & hours of rehearsal for existing works or creating new choreography.Q. What inspires you? 
A. Mainly the NEBC mission statement inspires me. “Bringing Children to the Arts & Arts to the Children”. Next would probably be Artistic Collaboration: Bringing different dancers, choreographers, scenery, costume & lighting designers together to create new works or perhaps bring fresh life to existing works. I find bringing this process to downtown Bridgeport to be very exciting & inspirational.Working with talent inspires me! Our newly appointed Artistic Director Victor Trevino served as our main choreographer for the past 22 years. We have known each other for over 30 years having met while dancing with Ballet Florida in the 1980’s.  NEBC has taken a major leap forward with his taking on a more active role.Q. How do you think you’ve changed or developed as an artist?
A. The obvious is the 35 year transition from Dancer to Teacher to Founder/Artistic Director to now Executive Director as my skill set in the Arts has continued to change and grow.  My early training was in drawing/painting & photography.  The performing arts took over my life in college but that early training has served me well in creating & visualizing new productions.  Photography remains my preferred medium outside of dance.

Q. Can you tell me about your role at the New England Ballet Company?
A. The vision for NEBC has been mine since its inception. My role continues to be one of inspiring others to participate in making that vision a reality.

Q. I see you founded the New England Ballet Company in 1990. How do you think the company has evolved since then?
A. The quality of the productions has grown tremendously. My goal has always been a professional ballet company that also has a strong school, training dancers to a professional career level. This year for our 25th Season we hired our first professional contracted male dancer. We have paid dancers per production for many years. Having a professional male company dancer full time has been a game changer for NEBC. I am quite proud to have this part of the “dream” become reality. Imagine how thrilled I was to discover Nicholas Franco was a Bridgeport resident, attended the MACH program in high school and graduated from The Hart School at University of Hartford with a BFA in Ballet Performance!

NEBC New Location Grand Opening with Mayor Bill Finch.
Photograph by  David Kent
To me, it became clear all roads were leading to Bridgeport. Honestly it did not feel like relocating. It has felt like coming home! New England Ballet Company has a wonderful new dance facility & HOME downtown Bridgeport at 130 Elm Street!
.”-Kenneth Hopkins
Q. What was one of your favorite projects/performances to be a part of?
A. A full length production of Romeo & Juliet to the Prokofiev score.  I hope to revive this production with new choreography for the Spring of 2016 at The Klein bringing in area high school students.Q. You’ve just moved to a new location in Bridgeport. Why did you decide to relocate? Why base the company in Bridgeport?
A.  The evolution of NEBC making Bridgeport home began with performances of Nutcracker at The Klein several years ago which included a special performance for 1400 of the after school Lighthouse program students. That led to annual performances for Curiale School through our relationship with the CT Post. NEBC has worked with Diane Wyckoff of the Bridgeport ABCD programs teaching dance to the young children & bringing live performances to them for over 10 years. We received a grant and ran a 10 week program at Roosevelt School & merged our company dancers with the Roosevelt dance classes for a performance of the Nutcracker.We formed a relationship with The Bijou Theatre two years ago and began teaching dance classes’ downtown as well as creating a Children’s Series of Ballet performances.  NEBC was given the honor of the title “resident ballet company” at both theatres.To me, it became clear all roads were leading to Bridgeport.  Honestly it did not feel like relocating.  It has felt like coming home!  New England Ballet Company has a wonderful new dance facility & HOME downtown Bridgeport at 130 Elm Street!Q. What are some plans for the future of the New England Ballet Company?
A. We are currently writing grants in hopes of establishing a scholarship program to allow our 5 year old ABCD students who age out of that program to attend classes at our new studio.  We have statistics showing that those children who participated in our dance programming consistently have tested higher going into 1st grade.  NEBC will hold its first Summer Ballet Intensive Program this summer & plan to extend this to bring out of state dancers in the future.  We will increase the number of contracted professional dancers & create new ballets to perform.  Collaboration with the Greater Bridgeport Symphony on a production of Peter & the Wolf for area school children is definitely on our wish list!DON’T MISS THESE EXCITING EVENTS COMING UP ON THE NEBC CALENDAR

  • NEBC participates annually in the CT State Open House Day, June 13, 2015
  • Bridgeport Juneteenth Parade, June 13, 2015
  • Barnum Festival Wing Ding Parade & Great Street Parade
  • Registration for Fall Classes
  • Community Nutcracker Auditions in September.
  • Fall performance of Benjamin Britten’s Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra
  • 24th Annual Nutcracker performance at The Klein in December

For more information please visit: www.newenglandballet.org

*Newsletter Editor’s Note: All event descriptions and featured artist profiles are published as provided.

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Bridgeport Art Trail Newsletter : May 2015 – Part 1

The month of May is brimming with great arts, theater, and dance events in Bridgeport!

BRIDGEPORT ART TRAIL NEWSLETTER

Welcome to our Bridgeport Art Trail newsletter, providing a listing of arts and cultural events.

The month of May is brimming with great arts, theater, and dance events in Bridgeport!

Visit City Lights Gallery for a special talk by Iyaba Ibo Mandingo about his artist residency in South Africa. Entitled Mayibuye, it means “bringing back what was lost” in Zulu. Later this month the gallery’s exhibition “A Lifetime Making Comics” will also open on May 28th!

The Bijou Theatre and Bridgeport Theatre Company continue to offer fantastic film and theater productions. This month’s Reel Law series film is The Rainmaker, scripted and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Stay after for a discussion on the legal issues addressed in the film. And the Bridgeport Theatre Company closes the jazz age classic “Thoroughly Modern Millie” this weekend.

The Nest Arts Factory hosts a weekend of exciting programs with it’s Spring Buzz! event including open studios. Plus, a curated art, craft + design fair, plant sale, honey tasting and more!  Two shows will be on display: the encaustic themed show Encased Exhibit and photography exhibit by Catherine Conroy – Sidewalks of Bridgeport.

Comedy fans can spend an evening with the “Queen of Mean”, Connecticut native Lisa Lampanelli as part of a Benefit for the Housatonic Museum of Art.

Don’t miss upcoming calls for art. The deadline to be a vendor for the 2015 Bridgeport Arts Fest is May 15th! And City Lights Gallery is also extending a call to all artists for its 4th annual Same Sex exhibit.

Don’t miss Read’s Ground Floor Gallery solar/lunar themed exhibition “Here Comes the Sun…By the Light of the Silvery Moon”, City Lights Gallery’s “Forever Young” exhibit, and the Discovery Museum’s “Father Sky & Mother Earth” exhibit, all closing this month.

Lastly, join us in celebrating The New England Ballet Company’s (NEBC) Kenneth Hopkins as our May Featured Artist!
Hopkins discusses how the NEBC has developed over the years, their new downtown Bridgeport location, and the transition from dancer to Executive Director

Be sure to check out all the details below!

-The Bridgeport Art Trail Team

Check out the full calendar of Bridgeport Art listings at the Bridgeport Art Trail Website.

SPECIAL EVENT : MAYIBUYE with Iyaba Ibo Mandingo
MAYIBUYE with Iyaba Ibo Mandingo
City Lights Gallery
Friday, May 8th, 6:30-9:30pm

Event Description:
The talented visual artist, poet and performance artist Iyaba Ibo Mandingo will present his poetry and a slideshow of his recent artist residency in South Africa that he calls Mayibuye which in Zulu means “bringing back what was lost”. Doors will open at 6:30. Join us as we celebrate his continuing success and artistic growth.

Admission is free and open to the public

More Info

THEATER:  Reel Law Series-The Rainmaker
The Bijou Theatre
Thursday, May 7th at 7pm

Film Description: Francis Ford Coppola is both scripter and director of this drama adapted from the John Grisham novel about broke, inexperienced Memphis law-school graduate Rudy Baylor (Matt Damon), ready to take any job he can find. Signing on with slimy Bruiser Stone (Mickey Rourke), he learns ambulance-chasing tactics from Bruiser’s leg man Deck Schifflet (Danny DeVito) and meets battered teen Kelly Riker (Claire Danes), abused by her husband (Andrew Shue). Baylor has his own clients — friendly Miss Birdie (Teresa Wright), who has a large estate to dispose of, and desperate Dot Black (Mary Kay Place), whose son Donnie Ray (Johnny Whitworth) has terminal leukemia. Medical intervention could have spared his life, but the Great Benefit Insurance Company denied coverage, preventing Donnie Ray from getting a life-saving bone marrow transplant. Rudy finds a place to live in the apartment behind Miss Birdie’s house. Deck and Rudy split from Bruiser to start their small firm. When they take on the Blacks’ case, they go up against the insurance company’s high-priced law firm and are continually thwarted by slick lawyer Leo F. Drummond (Jon Voight).

Event Description: Stay after the film for a discussion on the legal issues raised.

More Info

MUSIC: WPKN’s 4th Annual Bluegrass & Roots Concert
The Acoustic
Friday, May 7th
7:00 PM – 11:00 PM

Event Description:

Join WPKN at The Acoustic in Black Rock, Bridgeport for this benefit concert featuring:

Lisa Furman & Friends
Goodnight Blue Moon
Five in the Chamber.
The Acoustic is located at 2926 Fairfield Avenue, in Bridgeport.

More Info

THEATER: Thoroughly Modern Millie
Apr 24 – May 9, 2015

Music by Jeanine Tesori, Lyrics by Dick Scanlan
Book by Dick Scanlan and Richard Henry Morris
Directed by Christy McIntosh
Choreographed by Emily Frangipane
with tap choreography by Eli Newsom

Show Description: The winner of six TONY Awards including Best Musical, Thoroughly Modern Millie, based on the 1967 Academy Award-winning film,  takes us back to the height of the Jazz Age in New York City, when “moderns”—including a flapper named Millie Dillmount—were bobbing their hair, raising their hemlines, entering the workforce, and rewriting the rules of love. This high-spirited musical romp is a delightful valentine to the long-standing spirit of New York City and the people who seek to discover themselves there.  Great for audiences of all ages, young and young-at-heart.

More Info

ART EXHIBITION AND PROGRAMMING:
Spring Buzz! Open studies, Encased Exhibit, Factory HandMade, and more!

The NEST Arts Factory
Saturday and Sunday, May 9-10th, from 10 am to 4 pm
The NEST Arts Factory is buzzing with activity this Mother’s Day weekend!

EXHIBIT/EVENT DESCRIPTION:

HONEY TASTING
Sponsored by Red Bee Honey, Weston CT
Including demos, workshops, and tastings

OPEN STUDIOS
Visit the artists and musicians of the NEST
See art, listen to music, and discover the buzz

FACTORY HANDMADE
A curated independent art, craft + design fair just in time for Mother’s Day!

“ENCASED” ART EXHIBITION
An invitational encaustic exhibit in the NEST Gallery.
Reception: Saturday, May 9, 2-4 pm

PLANT SALE
Get your bloom on with the Black Rock Garden Club. Sunday, May 10, 10-4 pm

FEATURED ARTIST
Catherine Conroy, photographer
Opening Reception: Saturday, May 9 at 3 pm in the West Hall Gallery

Sidewalks of Bridgeport is a photographic series by Catherine Conroy. The exhibition will also feature Catherine’s photographs of musicians, the Majestic Theater, and the Remington Arms Factory.

More Info

Photos by Catherine Conroy, Sidewalks of Bridgeport

VISUAL ART: Figure Figure Drawing and Painting
City Lights Gallery
Wednesday, May 13th & 20th, 6-9pm
Saturday, May 30th, 3:30-6:30pm

Event Description: Figure drawing sessions for May at City Lights are scheduled for Weds. May 13, & 20, 6-9 p.m. and Sat May 30, 3:30-6:30 p.m. Please bring drawing materials and drawing board. The Wednesday evenings will be a long pose.

Sessions are designed as open studio time for drawing and painting from life. Without instruction. $15 model fee, $12 for City Lights members, $10 for students. Instruction available upon request.
Please RSVP at clgallerybpt@gmail.com

More Info

SPECIAL EVENT: Lisa Lampanelli Comedy Show
Benefit for the Housatonic Museum of Art
Housatonic Museum of Art
Saturday, May 16, 8:00-9:00pm

Event Description: Housatonic Museum of Art will host a benefit stand-up comedy show starring the Lovable Queen of Mean, Lisa Lampanelli, on Saturday, May 16, at 8 p.m. in the Events Center in Beacon Hall. The show will follow a VIP champagne reception and special exhibition of artwork by Leonard Lampugnale, Lisa’s father and an alumnus of Housatonic Community College, in the Burt Chernow Galleries at 6 p.m.

The VIP reception in honor of Leonard Lampugnale will include a meet-and-greet and exclusive one-on-one photographs with the comedian. This special evening will benefit the Museum’s general operating fund, educational programs and the care, study and exhibition of the collection.

Lisa Lampanelli is known as Comedy’s Lovable Queen of Mean. This equal opportunity offender is known best from her appearances on the Comedy Central and ESPN roasts, Howard Stern’s Sirius Satellite radio shows, and the “Celebrity Apprentice, Season 5.” She has also appeared on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” “Late Show with David Letterman,” NBC’s “Today” show, “Chelsea Lately,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” “The Dr. Oz Show,” and “Good Morning America.”

More Info

ART EXHIBITION: “A Lifetime Making Comics”
City Lights Gallery
Opening Reception: Thursday, May 28th, 5:30-8:30pm
On Exhibition: May 28th-June 27th 2015

Event Description:
SHAZAAM! Look up in the sky… it is a bird, a plane… No, it’s the City Lights banner at 37 Markle Court… heralding the new exhibit, “A LIFETIME MAKING COMICS” featuring the creators and artists of Beetle Bailey, the Flash, Superman, DONDI, Wonder Woman, Dennis the Menace, the Green, Lantern, Hi and Lois, Batman and more. Enjoy cartoon show theme songs played by pianist Walter Duda at the opening reception on Thursday May 28, 5:30-8:30 p.m. The exhibit is free and open to the public  and will run to June 27, 2015. .

View original art, working sketches, prints and original copies for sale.  Local artists include, Chance Brown, Frank McLaughlin, Mort, Brian and Greg Walker and Irwin Hasen.  This exhibit is in memory of Irwin, who recently passed at 96, after a long lifetime of making comics, which included the comic strip DONDI. Special Thanks to Frank McLaughlin for his assistance with the coordination of the exhibit which will also include chosen work of his students from Paeir School of Art in Hamden.

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Art Attribution: Beetle Bailey by Mort, Brian and Greg Walker  Dondi and All Star Comics illustrations by Irwin Hasen
CALLS FOR ART

CALL FOR ART : 2015 Bridgeport Arts Fest!

Description:

Be a part of the Bridgeport Arts Fest! Artists, musicians, performers, and creative people of all types are welcome.

DEADLINE FOR VENDORS IS FRIDAY, MAY 15

The Bridgeport Arts Fest is a one day celebration of LOCAL + ORIGINAL art, artists, crafters, community organizations and performers that takes place in downtown Bridgeport at historic McLevy Green on July 11, 2015 from 10am to 6pm, and is followed immediately by the After-Party (6-11pm). The Arts Fest is a family- and community-friendly affair and is FREE to attend. In addition to artists, you’ll enjoy live entertainment, activities, demonstrations and area food and drinks.

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First Pride Parade in Downtown Bridgeport for the opening of SAMESEX exhibit 2014

CALL FOR ART: SAMESEX 2015
City Lights Gallery

DESCRIPTION: “SAMESEX”, City Lights Galley’s 5rd annual gay-themed art show, opens July 9, 2015, with work that reflects the current LGBTQ zeitgeist.

City Lights is extending a call to all artists for our 4th annual Same Sex exhibit, scheduled to open Thursday, July 9, 2015.

SameSex explores LGBT themes, same-sex attraction, related feelings and issues of 2015.  This year’s suggested theme is “gender identity”. However artists can choose their own subject matter and need not be gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender to participate.

All artists are invited to submit jpegs of their work for consideration by June 5. 2015.
Artists will be notified by June 13, 2015.

For more info email clgallerybpt@gmail.com.

SUBMISSION DETAILS: There is no size limit to the dimension of art submitted, however larger works, over 60″ will be subject to space limitations.

SEND SUBMISSIONS IN JPEG FORMAT, (no more than 8 images), 72 DPI, DUE BY June 5, 2015 TO: clgallerybpt@gmail.com

NECESSARY INFO TO INCLUDE WITH SUBMISSION:
Brief artists statement, itemized list of art submitted should include:  title, size, medium, price of work, Works not for sale should include a value rather than a price. Also include artist’s contact info: name, email, phone (evening and daytime numbers), mailing address and website if available.

ACCEPTED ART TO BE DELIVERED BY: JUNE 25, 26, 27, 2015 Gallery hours, W-FRI 11:30-5, SAT 12-4, TH open ‘til 7. Art should be in excellent condition and ready to hang.

ABOUT: City Lights is a nonprofit, community based art organization located in downtown Bridgeport CT., easily accessible by Metro-North, Port Jeff Ferry, I-95 and the Merrit Parkway via the Route 25 Connector.

For more info please email us at: clgallerybpt@gmail.com
Visit Our Website: www.citylightsgallery.org

Gallery Hours:
Wednesday – Friday:  11:30 a.m. till 5:00 p.m.
Thursday: 11-7
Saturday:  12- 4:00 p.m.
By appointment

City Lights Gallery, 37 Markle Court, Bridgeport.  203-334-7748.
For more info: www.citylightsgallery.org .

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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS ON VIEW
Mixed Media by Karen Kalkstein

ART EXHIBITION: Forever Young
City Lights Gallery

Exhibit Description:
Celebrate artists of all ages who have reinvented themselves. Art on view addresses the aging process, nostalgia for youth and artists’ individual interpretation of the theme inspired by the song by Bob Dylan, “Forever Young.”

Exhibiting artists include: Jim Chillington, Ann Hodgson Cyr, Allan Dudek, Tracey Dinkin, Steve Gerber, Mark Hannon, John Favret, Karen Kalkstein, Michale Kozlowski, John Lawson, Beth Lazar, Karen Loprete, Allison Margo, Janice Mauro, Amy Oestreicher, Hilary Opperman, Lori Petcher, Michael Quirk, Colleen Reilly-Rees, Ann C. Rosebrooks, David Rosenberg, Marianne Schmidt, Ellen Siegel, Jodi Strmiska, Charlie Walsh and Al Coyote Weiner.

Read more about this exhibit in The Connecticut Post here.

City Lights Gallery is located at 37 Markle Court, Bridgeport CT. (203) 334-7748, www.citylightsgallery.org .

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ART EXHIBITION: “Here Comes The Sun…By The Light of the Moon”
Read’s Ground Floor Gallery
On View: April 23rd-May 16th

GALLERY HOURS
Thursdays/Fridays: 6-8pm
Saturdays: 1-4PM

Exhibit Description:
The sun and moon have been inspiring artists of all mediums since the beginning of time.

Drawing on the poetic inspiration of these heavenly bodies in the exhibit title, “Here Comes the Sun…By the Light of the Silvery Moon” is a solar/lunar themed showcase.

ABOUT
The Ground Floor Gallery at Read’s is a private arts space located on the first floor of Read’s Artspace Lofts, a redeveloped live/work artist community based in Downtown Bridgeport.

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ART EXHBITION: “Father Sky & Mother Earth”
The Discovery Museum & Planet

On View Through May 18th

Exhibition Description: From purple mountains to the vanishing prairie, an eclipse and blue moon, artist MIA celebrates our natural world with her oil paintings in this solo show. The exhibition features reflective landscapes rendered in a colorful, creatively-charged montage.

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 FEATURED ARTIST: MAY
 KENNETH HOPKINS
Executive Director of The New England Ballet Company
 NEW ENGLAND BALLET COMPANY MISSION STATEMENT
New England Ballet Company, founded in 1990 by Artistic Director Kenneth Hopkins, is committed to the belief that experiencing the performing arts is a vital element in the education of our children working under the initiative Dance:  Developing Appreciation and Nurturance in Cultural arts Education.  It exists to promote arts education and to serve the community by giving performing opportunities to dancers of all ages and levels.The dancers benefit from the experience of working with professional faculty, choreographers and guest artists, as well as professional directors, dancers, lighting, costume and set designers.  The community benefits from having its own ballet company whose local school and public performances enhance arts awareness and showcase local talent.  New England Ballet Company performances integrate the participation of students, parents, community and professional performers, civic groups, businesses, school administrators and dance enthusiasts.
From the recent “Birds of Ballet” performance at The Klein Memorial Auditorium.
Photographer: David Kent
This year for our 25th Season we hired our first professional contracted male dancer…I am quite proud to have this part of the “dream” become reality. Imagine how thrilled I was to discover Nicholas Franco was a Bridgeport resident, attended the MACH program in high school and graduated from The Hart School at University of Hartford with a BFA in Ballet Performance!.”-Kenneth Hamilton
Firebird Dance images
Photographer: David Kent
Q. How would you describe your artwork/style?
A. Performance Art through Classical Ballet.Q. What medium do you work in?   
A. Dance, Choreography, PerformanceQ. What is your process like? 
A. Teaching many weekly ballet technique classes & hours of rehearsal for existing works or creating new choreography.Q. What inspires you? 
A. Mainly the NEBC mission statement inspires me. “Bringing Children to the Arts & Arts to the Children”. Next would probably be Artistic Collaboration: Bringing different dancers, choreographers, scenery, costume & lighting designers together to create new works or perhaps bring fresh life to existing works. I find bringing this process to downtown Bridgeport to be very exciting & inspirational.

Working with talent inspires me! Our newly appointed Artistic Director Victor Trevino served as our main choreographer for the past 22 years. We have known each other for over 30 years having met while dancing with Ballet Florida in the 1980’s.  NEBC has taken a major leap forward with his taking on a more active role.

Q. How do you think you’ve changed or developed as an artist?
A. The obvious is the 35 year transition from Dancer to Teacher to Founder/Artistic Director to now Executive Director as my skill set in the Arts has continued to change and grow.  My early training was in drawing/painting & photography.  The performing arts took over my life in college but that early training has served me well in creating & visualizing new productions.  Photography remains my preferred medium outside of dance.

Q. Can you tell me about your role at the New England Ballet Company?
A. The vision for NEBC has been mine since its inception. My role continues to be one of inspiring others to participate in making that vision a reality.

Q. I see you founded the New England Ballet Company in 1990. How do you think the company has evolved since then?
A. The quality of the productions has grown tremendously. My goal has always been a professional ballet company that also has a strong school, training dancers to a professional career level. This year for our 25th Season we hired our first professional contracted male dancer. We have paid dancers per production for many years. Having a professional male company dancer full time has been a game changer for NEBC. I am quite proud to have this part of the “dream” become reality. Imagine how thrilled I was to discover Nicholas Franco was a Bridgeport resident, attended the MACH program in high school and graduated from The Hart School at University of Hartford with a BFA in Ballet Performance!

NEBC New Location Grand Opening with Mayor Bill Finch.
Photograph by  David Kent
To me, it became clear all roads were leading to Bridgeport. Honestly it did not feel like relocating. It has felt like coming home! New England Ballet Company has a wonderful new dance facility & HOME downtown Bridgeport at 130 Elm Street!
.”-Kenneth Hopkins
Q. What was one of your favorite projects/performances to be a part of?
A. A full length production of Romeo & Juliet to the Prokofiev score.  I hope to revive this production with new choreography for the Spring of 2016 at The Klein bringing in area high school students.Q. You’ve just moved to a new location in Bridgeport. Why did you decide to relocate? Why base the company in Bridgeport?
A.  The evolution of NEBC making Bridgeport home began with performances of Nutcracker at The Klein several years ago which included a special performance for 1400 of the after school Lighthouse program students. That led to annual performances for Curiale School through our relationship with the CT Post. NEBC has worked with Diane Wyckoff of the Bridgeport ABCD programs teaching dance to the young children & bringing live performances to them for over 10 years. We received a grant and ran a 10 week program at Roosevelt School & merged our company dancers with the Roosevelt dance classes for a performance of the Nutcracker.We formed a relationship with The Bijou Theatre two years ago and began teaching dance classes’ downtown as well as creating a Children’s Series of Ballet performances.  NEBC was given the honor of the title “resident ballet company” at both theatres.To me, it became clear all roads were leading to Bridgeport.  Honestly it did not feel like relocating.  It has felt like coming home!  New England Ballet Company has a wonderful new dance facility & HOME downtown Bridgeport at 130 Elm Street!

Q. What are some plans for the future of the New England Ballet Company?
A. We are currently writing grants in hopes of establishing a scholarship program to allow our 5 year old ABCD students who age out of that program to attend classes at our new studio.  We have statistics showing that those children who participated in our dance programming consistently have tested higher going into 1st grade.  NEBC will hold its first Summer Ballet Intensive Program this summer & plan to extend this to bring out of state dancers in the future.  We will increase the number of contracted professional dancers & create new ballets to perform.  Collaboration with the Greater Bridgeport Symphony on a production of Peter & the Wolf for area school children is definitely on our wish list!

DON’T MISS THESE EXCITING EVENTS COMING UP ON THE NEBC CALENDAR

  • NEBC participates annually in the CT State Open House Day, June 13, 2015
  • Bridgeport Juneteenth Parade, June 13, 2015
  • Barnum Festival Wing Ding Parade & Great Street Parade
  • Registration for Fall Classes
  • Community Nutcracker Auditions in September.
  • Fall performance of Benjamin Britten’s Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra
  • 24th Annual Nutcracker performance at The Klein in December

For more information please visit: www.newenglandballet.org

*Newsletter Editor’s Note: All event descriptions and featured artist profiles are published as provided.

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